Mutterings of a Big Teddy

Friday, December 02, 2005

O Christmas Tree



Heres the biggest Christmas tree I have seen in Santiago, outside of a Shopping Mall. It's just outside the train station. As you can see, it looks great against the (real) palm trees growing in the vicinity.
At the foot of this colossus, is Santa's grotto with a pole at each corner, no walls and thoughtfully covered with a canopy to keep the sun off the man in the red suit.
This is American-style Christmas decor to the hilt. Along the highways, giant plastic holly wreaths are hung and are already thick with dust. I was wondering, as the Chileans are largely Catholic, didn't they have (don't they have) their own Christmas traditions and decorations, more suitable for the climate??? If they still do, you wouldnt notice it, that's for sure... To paraphrase from Rod Serling's Planet of the Apes ...You Maniacs! You blew it Up! Damn You Coca Cola! Damn you to hell!