Since Costa Rica is not real big on celebrating Halloween and of course Thanksgiving is not a holiday here, so there’s nothing standing in the way of stores putting out Christmas stuff starting in October. I’ve even seen displays going up in September.

Huge inflatable Santas wobble in the wind in front of department stores while the inside is taken over by brilliant colored balls and ribbons and miniature houses that light up and mechanical snowmen that lurch back and forth between chuckles.

A few weeks ago, about mid October, I had to buy a present for a birthday party Addison was invited to. As I browsed through the isles and isles of well-marketed plastic toys, I realized I was singing Jingle Bells. I stopped myself and realized what I’d done. Now the tune would be in my head until December.

The Santa above I captured at EPA the big hardware store down the street. I was in search of gasket sealer for my espresso machine. Inside the store were those billions of balls and tiny houses that light up if the bulb doesn’t break on the way home. Coco and I ran for the sealer. She forced me to buy her a bag of M&Ms on the way with that little “I’m hungry whine and I think I might die…..”As I paid, I realized I wasn’t singing THAT song. I grabbed Coco by the wrist, and we ran faster than Dasher on Christmas Eve for the exit.