Christmas On Aruba 2006

[charlescroes]

What is Christmas like on Aruba? HMMM - Been asked that a thousand times and I always seem to have a different answer. It goes to show you that consistency is not my forte. To answer depends on the perspective and other circumstances. Each situation has a different Christmas all of its own.

THE AIRPORT is a madhouse on December 23 and 34. The human blur that just de-planed comes out with anticipation of suntans, relaxation, meeting old friends and a million other expectations written on their faces. The murmur of sounds like “Hey – where are the buses?” “Where are the taxis?” “God I love it here, honey can we just move here?” “Mom – where is the bathroom?” “Ask your mom where she packed the Pampers” And on and on and on and on - and then it stops. December 24th fades away and the 25th enters the empty halls of our small yet proud airport much like cold humid weather invades our bones. Quietness – stillness beyond the normal – the smallest sounds echo from tiled floors and the large expanses of glass. Electric motors that normally go unheard now whir loudly and it makes you wonder where this sound was only hours before. The obligatory guards at the luggage exit doors sit listlessly and talk to the family on their cell phones. A lady rides a large machine that has round spinning bristles designed to pick up refuse and put it somewhere while at the same time it waters the floor, scrubs it and sprays a mist of something that smells ‘fresh’ in the air. She is a perfectionist and gets every little corner and as she does hums a Christmas Carol.

DOWN TOWN could be used as a target range. A gun could be shot down the boulevard and not a soul would be harmed. The street is devoid of cars. There are no humans, no credit card machines anxiously awaiting approval codes and no moms walking with large bags and calculators doing the obvious math. Multiple Santa’s’ sit in shop windows doing two things; 1) smothering in the class enclosures and 2) shattering any little boys dream that Santa was one man in charge of toys and other presents. This lull is a time that can be compared to the between rounds of a boxing match. Round one being the months, weeks and then a final flurry of Christmas and round two just around the corner (5 days to be exact) when the streets will burst with a mass of exploding red paper firecrackers. The stillness of this lull will become the din of bursting fireworks. Children will protect their hands with cupped palms over ears and others will put kerchiefs over their mouths and noses so as to inhale less sulfur smoke. Afterwards, the clean up crew will come and hustle to get the mounds of red paper from the streets before the wind has its way.

HOMES DURING CHRISTMAS are mostly for family. Family will eat at dinner tables or on verandas with plates on laps. A hostess will walk about and worry about enough water for everyone and everyone will worry about the kids that are off somewhere in the yard. There will be moments after eating when the families will talk about work and to reflect on each other. For the most part, the rural homes will have a small tree and perhaps one (maybe two) present per person. Not because of lack of funds but more out of propriety – after all, just how many shirts does a man need and how many toys will a child play with? After dinner in the afternoons, men will sit on porches or other breezy places and play dominoes while the ladies will do “kitchen things” and talk about lady things.
NOTE: I was on the way home and drove by a house that had the garage area off to the side of the house. There, under a slanted tin roof were several men- some younger than others – their faces shouted to the world that they were surely family. Nicely dressed and neatly combed, they surrounded a car that had the hood up. The license tag said “DI-NOS" (“OURS”).
BUSINESS in town and the outskirts is at a standstill. Driving through town I notice the lights shine through a window in one of the legal offices. Webs are being spun.
It is a typical Christmas day on Aruba.
be well
charles
December 2006