Holiday Magique

This is cotton candy stuck to the tree. Vendors shoot it out of their machines into the air for kids to jump and grab. It's all over the place.

It's too bad the holiday season has come to an end, because they really know how to do it. The police close off big chunks of downtown every night for pedestrian pleasure, something U.S. cities should do more often. Families are out late, neon light-toys zip around, and there are so many sweet treats to snack on (like gooey plantains with condensed milk, crema, and strawberry jelly). My favorite activity is snatching cotton candy out of the sky before all the short children can reach. It's actually quite mesmerizing how it floats in mid-air. These photos show bits of evidence from our nightly magique in the streets.

Every kid except me had one of these 6ft. pencil balloons. I wanted one in the worst way...

Last night we, along with the rest of the world, celebrated New Year's. A friend was telling us about the Mexican tradition of shoving cash in your right shoe, standing on your left foot, and popping grapes in your mouth and making wishes during the countdown. It sounded like a pack of lies to me, but sure enough, when the moment arrived, our host passed out prepared cups of 12 grapes each (one for each month). We gathered around the TV, and it was funny how the "Happy New Year!" moment was kinda quiet because everyone's choking down grapes. The newscasters just stood there trying to smile and swallow. In the next few minutes, everyone at the party greeted everyone else saying "feliz ano". (I didn't have the heart to tell them that they were missing a word. )

-PJ