an Arizona Christmas

Finally-- a real posting! One of my favorite things to do around Christmastime is walk around the neighborhood and look at all the gaudy decorations that everyone put up. This year's winner for the shiniest and brightest goes to....



Not that I don't enjoy looking at pretty lights in the dark, but they have a neon red, fully rotating carousel on top of their house!! I see no economic recession going on here... Other highlights from my neighboring streets include




I'm quite a fan of the santa hats on cacti-- not only are they adorable but they're also functional! A lot of people actually cover the tops of their cacti (with tarps or other cloths) in the wintertime over here to keep them from getting frostbite, as cacti are pretty vulnerable to the cold.

And what do these crazy cactus-covering, house-decorating Arizonians eat for Christmas dinner, you might ask? Well, I don't know about everyone else, but I had some homemade tortillas and carne avada! Tortillas are a ton of fun to make, and pretty easy too-- I suggest you try sometime! All you need is to mix some shortening, white flour, baking soda, and salt. Then comes the fun part: flattening them out with a rolling pin and attempting to make a shape that is vaguely circular.



I had a little trouble at first, but after a few more, they didn't turn out so bad.



Simply fry for a couple minutes, serve with some beef smothered in red chile sauce and you have yourself a real southwestern Christmas!