The Spirit of Christmas in Rodeo Viejo

On Sunday Dec 22, we set out to Rodeo Viejo for a small Christmas gathering with held for the childern that attend a local school. Each year a group of hard working community members put on this special event. This year, Jasmine (Spanish teacher and a prominent figure in the community), invited us to take part in the celebration. We arrived at the small local church in Rodeo Viejo at 1:00 p.m with two gifts in hand, one for a 6 year old boy and another for a 11 year old girl. When we arrived, a small group of expats were already at the church. They stood amongst over 50 local kids ranging from 2 - 12 years in age. Several teachers from the local school, along with a police officer, parents and grandparents, volunteered their time to make the event happen. A teacher took the microphone and played a game to get the crowd of excited kids quite. Songs were sung by children before the pinatas were hung and each kid got a wack at them. Lunch was served for everyone, hotdogs for the kids and yucca y carne for the grownups.

After lunch each child was called up to the stage to receive their gift from the gift giver. It was a sweet experience,the smiles really lit up the room. We spoke with a friendly 10 year old name Aaron, he told us he knew a lot about Canada and even spoke a little English. His fingers were cross that the box in his hands had a new pair of Nikes in it. He wouldn't know until Christmas though, as the gift would stay wrapped until then.

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