Some Mexican children will get a visit from St. Nick this year, but many have another special Christmas spirit who brings gifts and joy. On Christmas Eve, kids can expect a visit from "el Ni-o Dios". The Holy Child brings gifts to the good girls and boys. Then on January 6, the three wisemen come to visit for "Reyes Magos". The Magi leave more gifts for the children, sometimes in their shoes!

Many Mexican families attend a midnight mass on Christmas Eve. The Birth of Christ is very much the central theme to the Mexican celebration, and this is a grand change from the commercialized American Christmas. The Christmas trees have to travel a good way, and that drives up the price. Usually, full sized trees are only found in the homes of the wealthy, but many others find a way to honor the evergreen by adding ornaments to a small branch or shrub.

To decorate for a Mexican Christmas, be sure to add some of the beautiful red poinsettias or "La Flor De Noche Buena". They have been a Christmas tradition throughout much of the world since an American ambassador introduced it to South Carolina in the 1820′s. A well-dressed Mexican Christmas home would also have to have a Pinata (paper-mache figure filled with candy)! As part of the fun, the children gather around and smack it with sticks until they are showered by the candy explosion!

The Mexican Christmas festival is an impressive sight, with elaborate decorations and celebrations for nearly a month! The holiday is overwhelming in its magnitude, but amazingly, in all this revelry the people rarely lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas! Let us know if you are planning a holiday trip and we will be happy to meet with you to discuss some of the best Caribbean beachfront listings that we have available to suit all needs and budgets. With financing now available the time has never been better to treat yourself to a Caribbean future.

Heard more often than it is seen, the Yucatan White Scrotum Howler Monkey (Scientific name Alouatta Pigra) makes a fearsome sound and its’ howls can carry for several miles. It is slow moving and spends most of its’ day resting, often slumped over a tree limb.

Howlers usually appear depressed as they customarily sit hunched back with a gloomy expression on their face. Although the species is arboreal, they seldom make crashing leaps from tree to tree like Spider Monkeys.

They are large and stocky, up to 17 pounds, with glossy sheen fur. Males are larger than females with a longer black beard and a white scrotum, which is taken by females to be a sign of the male’s sexual maturity and breeding proclivity.

Often seen hanging from its’ tail when feeding, they consume large quantities of leaves, but also eat available fruits, nuts and flowers in season. Calls include barks, grunts and howls at dawn and dusk, culminating in a loud continuous rumbling roar by the male, which can be unsettling to say the least.

So, if you are traveling solo in the Yucatan Peninsula and are feeling romantically inclined, you may want to give some thought to emulating the Yucatan White Scrotum Howler Monkey. He seems to have no trouble finding a date. If you would like to hear a Howler for yourself, contact your Trans Caribbean sales representative.