It's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas in Arcos: Celebrations start over a month in advance. Sometime in mid-November, Patra and I wondered at the "Felices Fiestas" sign that had just been hung over the entrance to the old town. We weren't sure if we'd missed notice of a November party. But no, it was just early felicitations for the late-December holiday season.

Since then, decorations have gone up all over town, and different restaurants have sponsored parties almost every Friday and Saturday night. These parties feature flamenco singing in the streets, free anise, and bunuelos, which are little heaps of fried dough, basically doughnuts but less wholesome (seriously--they're just sizzled fat; even the smell of them gives a normally healthy person heartburn). Based on the number of these parties we've frequented, Patra and I could be said to be fanatics. Last night we went to a party in our neighborhood, one that didn't even seem connected to a restaurant. Just a neighborhood block party with someone frying dough and other people shaking tambourines in a circle, clapping hands, and chanting the Christmas songs of Arcos. We were given "hot chocolate" with our bunuelos, which had the consistency of a thick soup. Sore stomachs for all!

And although the weather has been temporate lately (usually mid 60s during the day), just as the calendar was turning over to December, a midnight thunderstorm turned into hail, which collected in small white piles in the street outside my window. I can't say I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, but it's fun to pretend...

Andalucian Christmas carols in front of an old convent