Christmas Eve

So, there is a tradition here in Quito that people hand out Regalos (gifts) for Christmas to those in need. It is very similar to Halloween in the fact that kids come to your door and ring your doorbell and ask for a gift. The difference is that it is not just a little piece of candy, but a bag of cookies and candies and they don't just come one day but the whole week proceeding Christmas. So, unaware of this tradition, we answered the door Monday and some kids and their mom were there and asked for Regalos de Navidad. I was in the process of making Vicki Brownell's famous white chocolate popcorn and so I bagged some up and gave it to them. I explained that it's not the normal gift, but it was all I had. Little did I know that once you start, the word gets out and you are flooded with people from then on. So, a couple days went by where we would just give out what we had, until my neighbor explained to me that it is best to pick a day and tell everyone to return on that day. Well, today was the day... Christmas Eve day. We gave out over 100 gift bags and people are still coming! It's crazy!
Hope you have a very Merry Christmas!