How They Celebrate Christmas in Santiago Chile

A expat living in Santiago, Chile wrote a very interesting post over Expat Exchange.  Chile is south of the equator so Christmas is right in the middle of summer and end of the school year.  Traditional U.S. festivities, baking cookies and decorations are not the norm and the focus of Christmas is mostly religious. 

The main attraction in the home is the creche or "pesebre" with the baby Jesus missing from the manger until midnight Christmas Eve. Families will have holiday meals. Frozen turkey is beginning to become popular, but given it's summer many choose cold plates of meat, or asados/barbeques. The holiday drink is cola de mono, made with aguardiente, sugar, milk, coffee and spiced with cloves, cinnamon and orange zest. As midnight arrives the families may attend midnight mass. When they return the baby Jesus is placed in his spot and the presents are ripped opened.

Bathing suits are more popular than scarves, gloves and coats and water skiing is more popular than snow skiing as families head to the beach to try and cool off.  Read more about Christmas in Chile at ExpatExchange.com.

Have a Merry Christmas!