Christmas Shopping in Santiago

Forget Christmas carols and hot chocolate and roasting chestnuts. It is summer and the fresh fruit is in abundance. The temperature is about 75 degrees and the South Americans are not up tight about getting the shopping done. In fact, I think they may not be going to do any! The malls are not decked out and we do not hear Christmas music on the intercoms. What a relief!!

The street vendors are doing a brisk business in snack food, ice cream and drinks. They must have blackened lungs and deaf ears from all the car fumes and noise.

This young man has only one leg and sits on the cement wall selling jewelry. You can see him making a sale. After the sale he will sit back down and watch the traffic go by. I asked a resident of Santiago what is done to help disabled people in Chile and he was puzzled by my question. After some thought, he said that they were becoming aware that individuals with handicaps may need some financial help and assistance. It is not uncommon to see vendors on the streets with very disabling conditions.

These ladies were selling an assortment of jewelry also. They actually have to be licensed to sell on the streets and are given an assigned place to do their selling. One man who sells flowers on our street is out 8 hours a day and I am told makes a good living.

This market is a lot more fun than a city mall. We loved the little shops which offered all kinds of S. American arts and crafts. The market was very clean and featured lots of benches in the shade for tired husbands.

This shop owner is helping my friend Cathy Dixon try on a wrap around skirt. She didn't buy one but I did and really enjoy wearing it with my sensible missionary shoes.

Notice that they have spread a shade canopy over the market. It is a good thing as the ozone layer has a hole in it over Chile. Us Norte Americanos can get a nasty burn in no time. If you want to get a closer look at any of these pictures I think you can click on them and it will enlarge them for you. You might want to check out the sales.

These vendors have less desirable sites to sell their wares. However, please note the stairs. That is the entry and exit of the subway. So the foot traffic is heavy past their outdoor stores. Notice the older couple holding up the wall by the stairs. That is Elder and Sister Dixon. They were shopping with us. He is the medical doctor assigned here. His wife is the nurse. We do a lot of our work with them.

We ended a perfecto day of Christmas shopping by appreciating a street picture in colored chalk of the reason for the season. This is a Catholic nation with a love for shrines and pictures of the Savior and Mary. We were impressed with the skill and devotion that it took to create this temporary work of art.