One of the only things that I would consider a sacrifice we’ve made for the life we currently live is not being around family and dear friends during important events like weddings, birthdays, and the like. But the holiday I miss the most is Christmas. On the road, we try to make the most of it by buying extra special items for Christmas dinner, going for epic hikes, or trying to find other nomads to make the most of the holiday season.

A very Caribbean Christmas dinner in Oceanside, California

Our first Christmas on the road was spent in Oceanside, California, where we sipped Pina Coladas on the beach and watched kite surfers tackle the waves. For dinner we ate fish en papillote, mango salsa, jerk marinated shrimp, rice and beans and fried plantains. In the days leading up to Christmas we watched Home Alone, and classics like The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Despite the warm weather, having a carton of eggnog around helped to make things feel festive. But of course, as Canadians, it just doesn’t feel like Christmas without friends and family, and a healthy dusting of snow (not that we missed the snow, it just didn’t feel very Christmassy is all).

A covert pina colada on the beach, Christmas Day 2017.

A long stroll on the beach on Christmas Day 2018, after a long night of Christmas Eve festivities at Agua Verde, Baja California.

Year two, we spent Christmas on a secluded beach in the heart of Baja California. There, we found company with several other like minded nomads escaping the cold weather in the north. Christmas Eve was spent preparing a large communal meal consisting of fresh ceviche with fish caught just off shore, a whole roasted baby goat, guacamole and salsa, “stick bread” (literally just flour, water and salt kneaded into a dough, wrapped around a stick and cooked over the fire), and campfire roasted potatoes. We all drank way too much in the glow of a martini glass shaped neon light (which filled in for the Christmas tree), tried Mexico’s version of eggnog (called Rompope), and listened to very non Christmassy music until late into the night. On the dark beach, we wondered at the marvel of phosphorescence as we ran across the sand and kicked at the lapping water. Bright blue-green sparkles lit up our footprints and the waves under the midnight moon. For Christmas, we indulged in a Mexican holiday tradition of tamales with some leftover salsa from the night before and a few cold cervezas. Still, a Christmas without friends and family (especially when that’s what you’ve known your whole life) doesn’t feel like Christmas.

Agua Verde is by far one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever been, though it doesn’t really put out the Christmas vibes..

The beautiful and talented Summer Ocean and her handsome love, Sparkle Lion perform for a crowd after the Christmas Day feast. We’ll HAVE to go back for Christmas again.

Third time’s the charm, so they say, and by far, our third year on the road felt the most like Christmas of all of them so far. Christmas 2019 blessed us with a visit from Braden’s parents, all the way from Vernon, B.C. to the Eastern Sierras of California. They made the three day trip down to California to escape the winter, only to run into snow storms and deathly ice roads the likes of which we’ve never encountered before. We’ll never forget that Christmas Eve where we almost died sliding off the side of a 300 foot cliff, but we’ll also always remember waking up Christmas morning to soak in some of the most beautiful natural hot springs in the whole wide world. We’ll also carry with us memories of the incredible feast we had. In Saline, holiday potlucks are a big event and the one on Christmas Day is one that should not be missed. The four of us feasted on a seemingly endless buffet stocked, even, with gluten free foods that Braden and Mark could eat, too! Bottles of wine were up on offer, and desserts were cooked in cast iron dutch ovens over open fires while acro-yogis Summer Ocean and Sparkle Lion delighted onlookers with gravity defying feats of strength, grace and dexterity. By far, this was the most festive Christmas we’d had on the road.

The Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in Taxco’s Zocalo meant that the holiday festivities had officially commenced!

This year, we’re alone again, in Mexico. But, without the van, we find ourselves in the middle of a bustling little city. As Christmas approaches, Taxco undergoes a magical transformation. When we arrived, the night time sky line was dark. Now, less than two weeks away from Christmas, every balcony is strung with glittering lights, the town square is adorned with a giant Christmas tree, a large poinsettia display, twinkling white lights, and 24/7 Christmas music. From our little balcony, where we sit high up on a hill overlooking other neighbourhoods, we can sit at night and watch the lights blink on in all the houses around us.

In the evenings, street vendors sell Ponche, Mexico’s version of hot apple cider. This “cold weather” drink is infused with guavas, pineapples, apples, plums, and cinnamon; the stewed fruit waiting at the bottom of the cup is the best part.

A dance troupe performs in the zocalo under the glittering lights of the tree.

Every night in the square there are festivities. A local dance troupe performing traditional dances set up in a variety of locations around the city every night. Live music and entertainers play for free among throngs of crowds. Cotton candy, popcorn, sweet breads, tamales, and Christmas cakes are available until late into the night. You can feel the Christmas “spirit” pulsing through the streets like life giving blood through your veins. Mexicans, it turns out, take Christmas very seriously.

No Christmas celebration is complete without a giant poinsettia display (here, they call them Noche Buenas).

City employees have been working tirelessly to get the people of Taxco into the Christmas spirit, and you can’t have Christmas in a place like Mexico without a classic nativity scene.

Now, we’re one week out from the big day, and an old tradition has begun, although it’s new to us. Here in Taxco, every evening until Christmas, each barrio (or neighbourhood) hosts a party at someone’s house. These events are called Posadas,, and the cost of entry is a song, but once you’re in there’s all the ponche, pinatas, and tamales you could ever ask for. Bars host Posadas, too, but in addition to a song you have to pay $100 pesos to enter, and you can bring your own booze (a very affordable way to get all you can eat and all the ponche you can drink for the evening). If you’re lucky enough, like we’ve been, you’ll be invited into a private Posada, welcomed like family, fed like friends.

As December marches on, the streets in Taxco become increasingly decorated with lights and Christmas decorations.

We’re excited to be here at this time of year. Excited by the excitement around us. Thrilled to buy a Christmas present for the little boy who lives here in the rental complex where we’re staying. And although we feel like flies on the wall, witnesses to something bigger than ourselves, we’ll do our best to take part in the festivities. Rest assured, while you’re huddled around the fireplace with drinks in hand, we’ll be indulging in some homemade eggnog, feasting on wood fired chicken, singing along to Christmas carols whose tunes are familiar but whose words are not, and celebrating our own very merry little Christmas!