Well we have spent our 2nd Christmas away from home and whilst we missed our family and our old friends we still had a great day .
Christmas Eve here was spent on the marina. The 30 or so boats that are on the dock we are on all brought out their chairs and some makeshift tables were set up , ours was Red Sky's dinghy , and each boat contributed a plate of finger food to share. We enjoyed some music, lots of tasty food and many beers. Our boats were decorated with Christmas lights and a piñata in the shape of a reindeer was strung overhead between two boats. The 10 or so kids all had 3 turns at beating poor Rudolph in the hope of spilling the bounty of candy he contained. After each of the kids had collectively struck Rudolf 30 or so times he still refused to part with the majority of his offering so it was decided that Matthew should finish the job.To a chant of BAM BAM , BAM BAM , Matt wailed on poor Rudolf first breaking a leg then decapitating him and finally the mother load of candy poured from a sorry looking reindeer all over the dock . This rain storm of candy caused a brief free for all as the kids (and a few adults) climbed over each other in a desperate bid to secure some of the treats.... Lots of fun.
Christmas morning dawned and brunch was once again held on the dock , tacos , Swedish pancakes , Scrambled eggs were consumed and thanks to Perfect wave were washed down with a glass of 1999 Dom Pereion Champagne - who said cruisers were cheap ! After a early afternoon nap we headed up to the Sky Bar at the Puerto Vallarta Yacht Club , the venue for our Christmas dinner (SEE PHOTO GALLERY) which was provided free of charge with compliments of the Marina. What a venue it was with million dollar views over Banderas Bay and the coast. The organizers of the group Wayne and Elly of S.V Zeppelin had arranged the rental of tables and chairs complete with white chair covers and Christmas table cloths. At 5.00pm all the yachties arrived and we feasted on Turkeys, Hams and a variety of side dishes and desserts all of which were prepared aboard the various boat of the group. Later in the evening the fun began with the traditional giving (and stealing) of gifts that each boat had brought. It goes like this; each boat brings a gift which is wrapped and placed on a table. The names of each boat are drawn one by one out a hat and as your name is drawn one of the crew of that boat can either open one of the gifts or "steal" one from some-one who has already opened one. The person who has had their gift "stolen" can then either open a new gift or "steal" some-one else's. As was the case last year in Opua there were some gifts that were highly desired, such as a gift certificate to have a hand drawn sketch of your boat done by an artist in the fleet .At the other end of the scale a napkin holder. Our contribution, which I chose as in the hope they would cause a stir was a set of "Knee Pads". They had the desired effect and as well as being the topic for some R rated suggested uses were the subject of considerable desire- that is the desire not to be stuck with them at the end of the night! Again lots of fun was had by all through-out the process.

So that was Christmas here in Mexico .Today we are headed to town to wander the markets, tomorrow we will finish a few boat jobs and then on Tuesday we intend to leave the marina and head out into the local anchorages for a few days of swimming surfing and Palapa Bar dinners.
Hope you and yours all had a wonderful Christmas and that you enjoy what's left of 2010
LOL ,
Juan , Leandro & Mateo