Christmas is always a treat in Ajijic, especially when we think about the Christmas's we spent growing up in North Dakota.

Every once in a while, we get into the car and drive to nearby villages. This one is just "over the mountain" called Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos. Mexican plaza are awesome.	We got to celebrate Jim's 70th birthday at their home with tons of their friends and endless food and refreshments. Jim and Larry share some volunteering task with the Lake Chapala Society.
We flew to the states to spend time with family and friends. Here we are with Larry's god son, Rick, Joan and their son Josh in downtown Chandler--all decked out for the holidays.	We spent time with Todd and Susan, friends we met in Ajijic. They recently returned to the state and found an awesome retirement community in Sierra Vista, AZ. They seemed to have acclimated very quickly.
Our next stop was Fullerton to spend time with Carmen and her family.  We were thrilled to watch Hunter play Water Polo, a sport we still do not understand. He was treading water, swimming and throwing balls for 30 minutes.	Toby, is now a freshmen at Fullerton High School and off to a concert in Los Angeles with dad. They had tickets for over a month, so we were there to see them off.
Dakota joined Toby to go to the concert. She will be graduating from Fullerton High School at the end of May. She has applied to a dozen universities,  all in California. She also loves to play cards, which she normally wins.	We joined Hunter and a bunch of his friends at the  Sky Zone Trampoline Park, near their home. While they were climbing and jumping, we played some cards and got caught up with Carmen.
Our last night in California, we joined the family at the Old Spaghetti Factory for a great meal together. This restaurant sits next to the rail station and has a trolley in the dining room.	We made it back to Ajijic in time to attend the LCS Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon. It was an event not to miss. They truly went out of their way to show how grateful they are to all their volunteers.
One afternoon, Larry joined a couple of friends to watch Pinocchio on the big screen. It was advertised to be in English, but when we got there, it was in Spanish. When we asked, they moved us to the VIP theater and showed it in English. Another great experience!	We attended the opening of the Lakeside Center for Culture and Arts, a new 54,000 square foot regional center that includes a 350-seat auditorium, space for workshops, literary, dance and theater training.
The acoustics were amazing. There were three groups entertaining at the same time, but the way the brickwork and walkways were designed, we could not hear but one at a time.	After speeches to a full house, the Governor of Jalisco, and the Mayor of Chapala inaugurated the Ribera Center. After this event the Governor went on a bike ride to inaugurate a newly completed ciclopista.
Another fun evening enjoying a tribute to Bruno Mars. We didn't think we would ever enjoy listening to rap, but we did.  Here is one of Bruno's hits.	Christmas Eve, we invited friends Chris and Barbara to join us for a dip in the El Parque Hot Tub, followed by dinner and drinks at our home. It was a very Merry Christmas.