Christmas Morning in Panama

Usually, we get up, fix breakfast and open presents.

Somehow, this has lost it's appeal and magic for us...we have everything we want or need...so we decided to skip the present exchange.

Instead we purchased toys at the Dollar store. Yella wrapped them. Other friends also bought these small presents and wrapped them. 700 presents in all!

We met at Dorado Park restaurant and we headed out to the Indigenous compounds to give away presents to the children.

The Indigenous people are migrant workers who are down from the jungle hills to pick coffee. They have almost nothing. They die before 40 years of age from lung diseases caused by burning fires in the sheds with no ventilation. And they have hordes of children.

As we pull into a compound, kids peak out from doorways, shy and timid. Then the first present is pulled out of our bags and the dam is breached!

Kids stream out of the doorways, accompanied by their parents.

We have trouble managing the throng!

It is similar to feeding frenzy for fish off a dock.

Many of these children have never received a gift. Intuitively they know what it is though!

Big grins. Vibrating in place. Jumping up and down like pogo sticks.

And every now and then, a child who never smiles. You wonder what happened to this child. These kids make you want to weep. And try harder to get just a little smile...

Many of the kids double and triple dip but who cares. Then you see a small boy get 2 balls and give one to his brother. Yella tried to give on boy a second ball and he gave the first one back.

Many heart warming moments. And a sense of Christmas giving bigger than the volcano.

Now we are off to a Christmas dinner pot luck with some very special friends.

I think it is a very good Christmas.