Christmas Presents

Santa’s sleigh ,with two large  cases of presents,  descended into Quito , not a sledge , but an A360. We had arrived after a trip half way round the world .It had taken 26000 km to deliver these gifts , and be in a position to see the happy faces . Covid hurdles had been avoided and overcome . A Toyota land cruiser completed the transportation,  the capacity essential for people and goods, and of a size to give an impression of safety with the other large cars hurtling along the highway.

Our  suburb exuded prosperity , in this gated community the houses competing on size and grandeur. A visit to the nearby shopping mall for some last minute Christmas shopping, confirmed that we were firmly in a ‘first world’ environment. The shops were of a quality that enticed expenditure , as long as the card had sufficient funds!  We were reminded of Christmas by ubiquitous discounts and life size reindeer and tree ;  these covered in  Coca Cola signs . This was truly a temple to conspicuous consumption . Santa would need a big sledge for these shoppers.

But South America has also extreme variations in wealth , exacerbated by political upheaval and drug wars . Ecuador has recently been on the receiving  end of the consequences ,with refugees especially from Venezuela walking in over the mountains . They have nothing left , and there is no social service to support them . They are out at road junctions seeking their next meal . For them Christmas will not feature excess of anything material ,but a deficit of life’s essentials. 

I looked down across our community’s manicured park with our grandchildren playing with abandoned reserve ; towards Quito 500 meters higher , 5C colder and  shrouded in mist . The church bells echoed across the valley reinforcing my mood of contemplation. We were indeed remarkably fortunate to be in this country , in this environment , surrounded by family ; and all in good health . What better Christmas present was this .