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AUTHENTIC RANCH... continued from page 32


leaving technology behind. There is a tiny town of sorts, with a church and a pub- lic gathering place, and even a little government run store where you and community members can pick up all the basics at government con-


some good people - authen- tic, salt of the Earth, well grounded Baja California ranchers. Contact: 624 165 1620 for reservations and more information.


December 19th


, 2011


Go to Santiago, 45 min- utes up the highway from the international airport, turn right after you cross the bridge. You will come to a four way stop. There is a sign that says San


Christmas Lights More Than A Tradition


 They are fraught with messages and under currents


BY LEO BUIJS


trolled and posted prices. It’s open every day from 8-5. If it looks closed just yell out a greeting and the Senora will open up for you, as she lives there. You will find coffee,


Dionisio. Follow the dirt road. Then there are three dirt road possibilities but you take the middle one which goes down. Stay on that road (it’s wider than any others) which goes


The extravagance of Christ- mas is here again. Lights are up and it seems like people try to outdo their neighbors just to show them they have more. More of what? Lack of taste? Or is it ignorance of what Christmas is all about? It’s easy to revile Christmas lights for wastefulness, excess and competitiveness; they are not exactly the three pillars of Christmas. So it has become fashionable to critique one’s neighbors’ efforts. There are even websites now where one can expose offenders in differ- ent categories such as tackiest display, the Griswold’s family or multiple Santas and snowman in-laws.


eggs, milk, tinned goods, pasta, sauces, flour, batteries, oil, and cleaning supplies. So whether you drive out for an afternoon or stay over- night, there are many ameni- ties offered just a half hour and an apparent hundred years from Santiago. You will en- counter another side of pris- tine Baja, populated with


straight through the flat plains. You will go through two cattle gates. After the second cattle gate there are San Dionisio Park signs. El Refugio is about 10 miles from Santiago and it has a sign on the San Dionisio road. The ranch- ers can meet you at the four way stop in Santiago at a scheduled time. 


But hating on twinkly lights


is a purely contrarian attitude, like hating on panda bears or on Corona beer. This year, I reviewed my stance and found some reasons to tolerate Christ- mas lights. After all, Christmas is the celebration of light. Since the Middle Ages, Germans and Scandinavians brought evergreens into their homes to signal spring. Then, in the 18th century, German im- migrants brought the first Christ- mas tree to North America with candles on its branches. Pru- dent people always kept a bucket with water nearby. Sniffing a gap in the market, clever Thomas Edison launched seasonal bulbs in 1880. But early Christmas lights were for the wealthy only: A 16-foot


strand could cost $20 or more, so most people just rented them.


Once mass-produced in the mid-1950s, lights became a North American essential, a sign of the boom-time and postwar affirmation of a bright future. And I have to admit, unlike the waxy alternative, Christmas lights will usually not kill you or burn your family homestead down.


For creativity; rarely do or- dinary people get to play artist and execute their idea of beauty in public. Hanging lights, singing during posadas and preparing special foods all require creativ- ity. At the end of my street is a somewhat dilapidated casita continued on page 39


But do we need the kind of anal-clenching worldview that believes little white fairy lights suffice. These people are defi- nitely out of touch with the child- like delight in clashing rainbow colors and toppled inflatable snowmen. So let them heave it. Christmas is about joy, and at times there’s no greater joy than excess.


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