
We were extremely blessed this Christmas! Our kids, their significant others, and my parents all made the time and effort to meet us in Mexico.
Actually, the trip was my birthday present. It can be hard having a birthday close to Christmas, but I used it to my advantage this year, which happened to be a biggie!
We were able to rent 2 adjoining condos that opened up to form one large villa. The main floor was perfect for my parents, so they didn’t have to go upstairs. That condo was also where we ate and hung out together. I can’t even remember the last time we sat down and ate 3 meals a day together, much less for 7 days! What a treat!

There was always some sort of game going on at the table after dinner… Catch Phrase, Pandemic, etc.

The villa price included a housekeeper every day. She also cooked breakfast and lunch for us for the first 3 days, so we could just chill. After spending so much time this past year cooking for my cookbook project, this felt like heaven! She even did the dishes! Wow!
Each morning we had a wide assortment of fresh fruit and yogurt, some type of egg, corn tortillas (for our gluten-free daughter) and toast.

Lunch was more like dinner for us, and I wish Erica would have shared her recipes. One thing I MUST figure out is her pasta with poblano cream sauce. She was kind enough to make a special gluten-free batch for Rebecca, who wouldn’t share any of it! Well, maybe a little with her husband.
Thanks, Erica for the great meals and the daily housekeeping that made us feel like we were royalty!

For Christmas Eve dinner, we decided to take a trip to the grocery store and cook something simple. All of my practice for the cookbook paid off, and I was able to make a dinner for our crew of 8 with minimal ingredients and time! The meal was a big hit (as were the festivities later, which you’ll have to scroll down to learn about).
I’ve made several variations of this simple fish dish, but I’m calling my Mexican version, Cancun Cod. Get the recipe here.
Of course, we did more than eat! We spent most of our time outside reading (often in the shade) on the main level terrace. I know our busy kids were thrilled to have down time where they could sit and read for hours undisturbed!

Richard and I snuck out on the upper level terrace…
… and checked out what was going on below…

I went walking on the beach with my dad…
And my mom…

… and swimming in the ocean with my son…
Taking fun pictures with my daughter…

And of my daughter with her sweet hubby in his hammock…

We went speed boating with the kids…

And wading in the lagoon…

We watched our family herpetologist (our son-in-law) catch lizards (or to be correct, anoles).

And visited ruins…

Swam in a cenote…

Admired more reptiles…

Ate dinner in a hut on the pier…

And shopped at the colorful local market…

We watched the sun set…

And we watched it rise…

We celebrated my birthday…

…with embarrassing old photos…

We smashed open a piñata on Christmas eve…

But most importantly, we gathered together as family and all celebrated the birth of Christ!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
MAY YOU BE BLESSED WITH PEACE AND JOY IN THE NEW YEAR. HAPPY 2016!