Christmas in Baltimore.

Then and now.

Baltimore, Maryland

December 20^th, 2024

The George Washington Monument lit up for the Christmas season.

Dear Reader,

This week, I took a trip down to the waterfront with my mother to see the tree in front of the Four Seasons. Dancing lights had been set to music, and a huge, glowing star sat at the top.

The tree in front of the Four Seasons.

Inside the hotel, there was a display with real gingerbread walls, a lake, ice skaters, pine trees, and snow.

The display inside the Four Seasons.

When I was younger, I remember driving into the city from the country with my dad around Christmas time. Smoke poured up from under the streets, and lights, in the shapes of snowflakes and angels, trimmed the street lamps. It all felt very magical to me.

In those days, my dad drove an old Mercedes with a car phone in it which seemed very chic. But I can’t remember him ever using it.

The smoke curled up around the car, and the round metal coverings on the ground made a hollow thump as we rolled over them.

We rarely spent Christmas in the city, so this must have been a special event.

“I’m driving into the city.”, Dad announced. “Who’d like to come with me?”.

“Me!”, I piped. I always wanted to go with him on outings, even if it was just to the hardware store.

Probably my dad just wanted to do some last-minute shopping, or, more exciting, we were going to pick up the television from the office.

That was a Christmas treat. We didn’t have a TV down at the farm in Southern Maryland where we spent weekends and holidays, so my dad would borrow the one from the office.

The TV lived with us till after the Superbowl. My dad is not a sports guy, but for some reason he always thought it would be fun to watch that great American event on television.

During Christmas we played classics like Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase, Die Hard starring Bruce Willis, Home Alone with Macaulay Culkin, and all the Leslie Nielson movies.

We started to know the movies so well that the dialogue became part of our dinner conversation. This amused us to no end.

“Pass me the salt, ya filthy animal!”.

“Drugs, Jules?”.

“Uh, not now Mariah.”.

“The sh#$tter’s full, Dad!”.

“Now I have a machine gun, ho ho ho.”

We’d all roar with laughter. Any guest who hadn’t seen these movies was at a loss.

After the Superbowl, the TV would go back to the office, and we’d go back to our usual bedtime routine. My mom would read to us, and sing songs. On weekends, my dad would play guitar and sing.

This year we’ll go down to the farm, and now there will be nieces and nephews, and in laws. We’ll go to church on Christmas Eve with our cousins, and have oyster stew afterwards.

I’ll be in touch next week, but in the meantime, I wish you a very happy weekend.

All the best.

Abrazos,

Mariah

P.S. I still have a few copies of the Calchaqui Valley Calendar left. If you are a paid subscriber, please reply to me with your address and I’ll send you one!

If you are not a paid subscriber, but would still like to hang a calendar on your wall next year, you may make your purchase here.

The calendar.