That's My Story

FILLING THE BAJA SLED!

Originally Published the Week of Dec. 13, 2008 in Western Outdoor News

I guess except for the surroundings, Baja during the Christmas season is a lot like anywhere else once you get used to it. Except for the fact that it’s not cold and there’s a lot of desert around here, it’s pretty much the same. No one is standing in a Santa suit at the grocery store ringing a bell. Unless Santa was in shorts, he’d bake in a furry red suit!

But Christmas “season” has been going on pretty much since November. Unlike the states, there’s no Thanksgiving holidays acting like a speed bump towards Christmas. Once Halloween is over, it’s full turbo towards Navidad! Stores have been decorated for weeks. Christmas shopping began Nov. 3rd.

Christmas tree lots have been up for awhile. They advertise “fresh Oregon Christmas trees” here in Baja. Yes, they come all the way down from the Pacific Northwest. They are a little pricier this year like everything else, but seem to move pretty fast.

I had to do a little errand running last week downtown in La Paz and also in Cabo San Lucas and it’s pretty funny seeing store merchants spraying fake snow in the windows and seeing everyone hanging up ornament balls and hearing Christmas carols in Engish in the larger stores and malls. Every flat-screen TV must have garland wrapped around it. I think that’s big on the Christmas list this year.

But this is the time of year, everyone knows that I’m going to be making several trips north to the states. So, my list is growing longer of all the things my local friends are asking “Santa Jonathan” to bring them. One of my friends calls me the “Christmas burro” because I’m like a pack animal with all the goodies.

It gets longer every year and, of course, I always get the promise that they’ll pay me back if I buy it in the states for them.

There’s the impression in Mexico that things are really cheap to buy in the U.S. Really cheap! Perhaps relative to Mexico prices, it’s less expensive in the states, but an iPod is still and iPod and a Seiko dive watch will never be a Casio.

So, it’s difficult when a friend making 10-dollars-a-day wants me to buy a car stereo, a laptop computer, or an Xbox and promises he’ll pay me weekly for it. They also don’t understand that I just can’t pack a sled full of all the goodies and fly back either. On Dasher! On Dancer!

Customs fees aside, there’s also weight restrictions aplenty these days and hefty fees for extra baggage.

But I do my best. Miguel wants a Dodger jersey. Sergio wants a DVD by Aerosmith. Liliana wants a bottle of California wine. Anita wants See’s candy. Rogelio wants a Laker’s baseball hat. Jacobo wants polarized sunglasses.

Eddy wants a Mario Brothers video game. Javier wants black 501 Levis sized 34 x 32. Sigh…”They must be black and they must have the Levi label on them,” he insists. Big on labels.

I will do what I can and try not to disappoint. But the hardest are the requests from the younger ladies…

“I want the same dress that Yennifer (they don’t pronounce the “J” in Spanish) Aniston wears to the Academy Awards.”

Oh sure, let me just order one of those up.

“I want the same makeup that Paris Hilton wears!”

Sure. I”ll stop by Walmart on my way to the airport. That’s where Paris Hilton shops. Believe me!

“I would like Brad Pitt’s autograph!”

Exhale. Deep thought.

OK, let’s see. I have a marker. That’s B-R-A-D…

I hate to disappoint.

Happy Shopping, amigos. I gotta load my sled.

That’s my story. If you ever want to reach me, my e-mail is riplipboy@aol.com.