Kulturkrasj i Lima

Hi!

Here comes a short resume in english of our last post. I am sorry that it has not arrived earlier. We have been busy with work and travel. 

In Peru it is customary before Christmas to practise something called "Amigo secreto" - "Secret friend". At work we were all given a name of one of the others on a small piece of paper. This happened in the beginning of December. On the walls of the office we hung up christmas stockings for everyone. Our mission was to fill our secret friends stocking with candy and cute notes occasionally through out December. We were not to tell anything to our secret friend before the Christmas closure, when we all gave a Christmas present to our "Amigo secreto". This is a cute tradition, that makes everyone go home with a present, and obliges everyone to only make one present to each social sircle. 

Before next december arrives on us, I would like you to take a little brake to consider what matters in Christmas time. I think what I am about to write has been written so many times before, that we have all heard it, but before we really have grasped it and learned it, we have been caught by the stream. So I will try to whisper through the howling wind of comercials and messages, telling you that what matters in Christmas time, is that everyone gets as much garbage as possible, and eating the best and cheepest food (without gaining weight): The most important thing about Christmas, is that Jesus came to earth to teach us that we can have a good time together. So have a good time, together. That does not necessarily require all the rubbish we give each other and our selves, polluting our planet. It only requires your time. I am not saying that you should not clean and decorate and make Christmas presents. It is a good thing to differ celebration from everyday life, and it really is an occacion worth celebrating. But think about why you do the things you do in the name of Christmas. Is it because you love the people around you like your self? Or is it something else?