Feliz Navidad!

Even though we’re in the desert it’s Christmas time here as well. How do we know? Well, we’ve been to the mall and we've seen the decorations, in most towns they string lights across the road that read “Feliz Navidad” and today, Christmas Eve, there was a line out the door at the butcher shop. Plus, when we were in Almeria yesterday they had outdoor speakers mounted all along the main shopping street playing Christmas tunes from many lands, including Elvis!

This is the Feliz Navidad sign that hangs over the road at the entrance to Las Negras...for some reason they do not have it lit tonight.








They do, however have a number of these diddies lit....













We understand Christmas Eve in Spain is when people get together to have family and friend time so I’m not really sure what happens Christmas day…. You see, the Spaniards follow the nativity instead of Santa so on King’s Day (January 6th -which commemorates the arrival of the three wise men to Bethlehem) is when children put out a shoe in the hopes of the wise men leaving them a present.

Then on January 7th…the big sales start at the MALL!!! Crazy sales like 70% off! There is also an 18% VAT added to things like clothes. When we, as turistas, leave the country with new merchandise the VAT is returned to us at customs so it’s like 88% off of clothing! Muy Fantastico! We plan on shopping!