Merry Christmas!
This is my Christmas tree this year, as assembled by Jadi.
Christmas is still four days away, but already the big Christmas celebration has taken place in my community. About a week ago, 8 wise men from the Panama Ports Company came to town bearing gifts. Instead of gold, frankinsence, and myrrh, they brought gifts that a child might actually want, namely toys. The Panama Ports Company built the school, and this has become an annual tradition for the town. About a month ago, the town submitted a list with the names and ages of every child person in town. Those names were then submitted to a toy drive held by the Panama Ports Company, and each child in town received gifts personally addressed to them and wrapped by the staff of the Panama Ports Company. Some children received a dozen small, individually wrapped gifts while others received one large bag or box. In addition, the head of each family received a bag of food. Finally, there was the distribution of second hand clothes. This process resembled a rugby scrum formed around several bags indentified by age age and sex, for example girls ages 10-13.
Here are some photos of the general chaos that last for about 4 hours, just like a normal Christmas at home.
Waiting in line for gifts.
A broader view of the gift line.
Waiting in line for goodies.
Receiving a bag of food. Contents: canned fish, rice, powered milk, etc.
Showing off the gifts and posing for publicity photos.
The photos went on for a while.
Enjoying the new toys.
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