Feeling ‘At Home’ This Costa Rica Christmas

We will always miss family and friends in the UK during the festive season, but after three years, we felt really ‘at home’ in Costa Rica this Christmas – thanks in no small part to Tico friends dropping in with ‘tamales’, their traditional Christmas fare.

Tasty strips of meat and veg is added to the basic maize meal, and cooked wrapped and tied in banana leaf, so they look like little ‘parcels’, and real gifts in friendship.

Ticos love festooning their homes with hundreds of twinkling lights but this year, electricity prices have gone up and the light pollution was greatly reduced.. Happily, other traditions are constant – lots of homes with wonderful nativity displays, usually on the terrace or in the garden for all to admire.

One decoration that gives us a good laugh: a plastic snowman on the roof of one of the town timber stores – the nearest most Tico kids will ever get to a snowman!

San Isidro’s festivities kicked off with the Tope, the annual riding of horses through the town. We reckon there must have been over 500, with riders of all ages, some sporting very grand gear for the occasion. Much to our amusement, loads of riders had their cell-phones pressed to their ears… Tico’s are welded to these ubiquitous social adornments, whether driving their cars or riding their horses!

The next night, we had the festival of lights – a grand Christmas float procession that takes 3-4 hours to wind its way through town. Beautiful girls wearing very little and doing their cheer-leader Ra Ra stuff in stiletto heeled boots is a sight to behold; in this heat, their feet must be crucified at the end of the night! On both occasions, town was packed – great family nights out.

The weekend before Christmas, the music school held its end of year concert and a splendid Christmas concert in the cathedral. An extension of the National University, the school’s existence was one of our happiest discoveries in San Isidro – sure there’s culture to be had in San Jose but its wonderful to have some here, way out in the sticks.

The school has lots of talented young people, and more queuing up to get in, but the shortage of instruments is a huge constraint; such a shame. In the Cathedral, we suddenly realized we knew lots of people in the audience – one more little thing that added to the feeling of ‘belonging’.

Christmas it may be but work goes on; here, on Christmas eve, a farmer bringing in his coffee crop in traditional style.

At home Christmas was special with the visit of a niece and her husband from Australia, and with Canadian guests – ‘La Boule’ in the sunshine was certainly very different from a ‘frio’ Christmas back home!

Thanks to various friends smuggling in foody goodies, we succeeded in having traditional British mince pies and Christmas cake, and BBQ’d an excellent Tico beef fillet – that kept the Ozzies happy. And a special bonus for our visitors – two chestnut mandibled toucans came up from the coast for Christmas… Cool eh? (as the Ozzies say!)

Our third Christmas over and the best one yet – Happy New Year from our little bit of paradise!

[custom_script adID=97]

Written by VIP Member Sheelagh Richards. Sheelagh is originally from Scotland and her husband John who is from Wales are two inveterate British travellers who fell in love with Costa Rica, the beauty of the Talamanca mountain range and the perfect climate of the Rio General valley where they have established a small Bed & Breakfast called Casa de Los Celtas. You can see a free online video interview with John & Sheelagh Richards here.

You can see more about John and Sheelagh’s very affordable B&B outside San Isidro here and photographs and prices here.

Please contact our Recommended Costa Rica Realtors working in the area: James Drews, Daveed Hollander and John Wieland, by using the simple form below and they’ll send you:

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.