Feliz Naughty Dog: Our First Christmas In Rota
- Hugo & Reynolds
- Jan 6, 2024
- 4 min read
Hugo and Reynolds here! Feliz Naughty Dog (or something like that) from your favorite two Spanish dogs! Christmas is over and now it's time to update you guys on what our first Christmas in Spain looked like!
Restaurante Santa Catrina Rota
First off, we have to talk about a few outings that Mom and Dad enjoyed without us. First, they went for dinner at their favorite Mexican restaurant downtown with Meghan and Peyton! They always come home smelling so good after eating €1.50 tacos at Santa Catrina! It was an added bonus that they got to experience Rota's Christmas decorations at the same time!
Then on December 15, Mom and Dad took our moped for the ITV inspection. This inspection has to happen every two years...and we had heard the rumor that Americans tend to fail for dumb reasons...and Mom and Dad were no different.
When sattled up beside mopeds held together with duct tape and prayers, Mom and Dad's scooter failed because of "scratches on the brake handles." So they had to get a local repair shop to replace those. Now they have to wait until the end of January to get the scooter cleared to drive again. Ugh.
But the good news is that means they only have one car now, so Mom has to stay home with us while Dad is at work. So Sis and I are the real winners!
While the moped was a bummer, Mom and Dad lucked out with a fun evening downtown at Belen Vivente 2023, a live nativity interactive put on by local middle school-aged kiddos! For €1 a person, Mom and Dad got to walk through a Spanish version of Bethlehem and relive the story of Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus! While they didn't understand a single word that was spoken, they knew the story and enjoyed the performance!
Mom and Dad said it's kinda like Night in Bethlehem back at their home church in NC but in a Spain version! It's kinda cool that Belen Vivente didn't have to make very many sets either- they just used the Spanish courtyards, cobblestone streets, and Rota's castle for backdrops!
December 24, 2023
On Christmas Eve, the Base Chapel put on their Christmas Candlelight Service at 6 pm! Mom and Dad have enjoyed getting involved at the local church and seeing the base kids reenact the Christmas story was another great performance! Of course, this gave sissy and I a chance to sniff out for Santa Paws knowing he was coming soon!
As we settled in for the night, Hugo and I enjoyed cuddling with Mom and Dad and watching the last of our "required" Christmas movies while sitting by our Christmas tree!
December 25, 2023
Then it was Christmas morning!!!!! Santa Paws brought Hugo and I fresh treats and new bones! Then we celebrated with a delicious breakfast- Dad made pancakes for him and Mom, and he even cooked us eggs for breakfast!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
We spent the rest of Christmas chilling together as a family! Mom and Dad cooked a great Christmas dinner and we just enjoyed the day together at home! It was GREAT!
Christmas was a chill time, and then our chill time continued with a few days of Dad being off work! That meant extra cuddles and sweet dreams curled up around the heater!
Now you might be wondering why it took us so long to publish our Christmas Blog. Christmas was December 25, but the Spanish know how to party and their Christmas festivities go until January 6th!
In Spain, Santa Claus isn't as popular for the holiday season. While some have adopted the Santa tradition, it's Los Reyes Magos, the three wise men, who are known to bring gifts to children on the morning of Three Kings Day (Jan 6.) To prepare for this celebratory morning, parades happen in all major cities, where the three wise men and their "possie" give out candy and gifts to the crowd!
Here's a post where los Reyes Magos arrived in Rota by boat:
On January 6, 2024, Mom and Dad, alongside their friends Aidan and RJ, headed downtown to take part in the festivities with the locals! While they struggled to find the parade route, they eventually located the crowds and enjoyed the hoopla of the Spanish custom!
During the parade, Mom and Dad saw all three of the Wise Men: Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Dad even caught a lot of candy and gave it to a little girl behind him who kept shouting "Aqui! Aqui!" (Here! Here!) to the parade floats! It was the cutest thing, and Dad was just happy to be there!
Here's a video of the parade from Rota's Town Hall Facebook Page:
Bro and I have to say, this Christmas season looked a lot different than our traditional Christmas, but we aren't complaining! Who wouldn't want Christmas to go through January 6th?! Maybe next year Mom and Dad will find more Christmas events that we can attend too! We want to be a part of the Spanish festivities!
Happy Howlidays!
--Hugo & Reynolds
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