Many of you readers have asked what it's like to spend the holidays on a small tropical island.  Here's what we did during the 3-day Christmas celebration.

Christmas eve day was spent with friends.  The guys went fishing and us gals went "Chaney Hunting." Chaney is broken pieces of pottery from a by-gone era.  You find it near sugar mills and old plantations  - and the children of the 1800's used it for play money - and the term "chaney" is sort of a combo of "china" and "money."  We hit the jackpot in the field where Home Depot will be built, in a newly-scraped field across from a sugar mill in Frederiksted, and in the ocean at Fort Frederik.  We cooled off our hot selves from all the hunting in the ocean.....which was rough due to storms on the mainland.  Nevertheless, we enjoyed the water and then treated ourselves to a Bushwacker at one of our favorite watering holes, Coconuts on the beach.

Christmas day we spent feasting at the beach with lots of friends.  We fried a turkey on the beach, everyone brought a dish, and it was an absolutely perfect meal.  We swam and lazed and talked and ate. Then we enjoyed dinner (curried chicken) at the La Cafe, with our good friend and proprietor Bert.  

Christmas second day (which is what the Crucians call the day after Chrismas) included snorkeling and sunning, and then an old fashioned pig roast at the Mt. Victory Camp.   Got to see lots of friends and eat lots of good food again and dance dance dance!  I think I've gained 5 pounds so far.

After drinking several of Matilde's mojitos and a couple of her jouk le jou's (don't even ask), it was off to the Festival Village.  I was 12 again and even rode one of the rides.  I have the bruises to prove it! The music was kicking and the food (yes, I ate AGAIN!) was delicious!   Coquito, Roti, and even a spicy dog! It was Christmas on St Croix!

Sunday was the Donkey Derby, which deserves its own blog.  Come join the fun and plan to be here next year (have I said before that the real estate bargains are fantastic right now on St Croix?!)