Monthly Newsletter December 2011 www.AmSoc.com.br FORUM The Holiday Issue Page 6: The Angel party 2011 was another great success. See some pictures and find out who our generous sponsors were. Giving by giving Page 11: Find out how your Xmas purchases can help local ONGs. Page 12: Enough about presents already? Discover the festive side of the holidays in São Paulo. Xmas in São Paulo The American Society of São Paulo promotes friendship by organizing social, cultural and athletic events for its diverse membership; encourages integration with the Brazilian society; and supports the American traditions of education, philanthropy and volunteerism. Our Mission The Holiday Issue Save the date Save the date Upcoming AmSoc events Dec 2nd - AmSoc Xmas party Jan 28th - Abacaxi bowl Angel party 2011 AmSoc Annual Christmas Party Christmastime is here, but it’s not too late to start considering what to get for those folks on your naughty-and-nice lists who don’t live in Brazil. Everyone will want a little memento from the country, but another pair of Havaianas in dayglow colors really won’t do. Therefore, we’ve put together a little list of Brazilian-flavored items you can find in São Paulo that will at least make you look like you put a modicum of consideration into your gift-giving this year. For absolute convenience, there’s nothing quicker or easier than stopping at your neighborhood pharmacy and picking up one of the tropical toiletries produced by Granado Pharmácias. Founded in Rio de Janeiro in 1870, Granado’s soaps, lotions, and creams make for interesting – and inexpensive – presents with their vintage packaging and exotic fragrances such as açaí, castanha do Brasil (Brazil nut), and calendula (marigold). While most pharmacy chains and supermarkets in the city carry the basics, the Granado pharmacies on Rua Haddock Lobo in Jardins and at the Hyatt along the Marginal Pinheiros, carry the full line of Granado products, including shaving creams, hand- and foot-care lotions, baby and pet care items, Rio- themed toiletry bags and accessories, and gift boxes stuffed with effervescent oils and soaps. Another pharmacy quick pick is the line of boutique skincare products from supermodel Gisele Bündchen, Sejaa, which is sold online and at Droga Raia locations around the city. With a name inspired in part by the Portuguese verb “to be,” Sejaa products, including face creams and mud masks, contain 100% all-natural ingredients and eco-friendly packaging. The fact that the brand is associated with one of the most famous Brazilians in the world has to count for something. And speaking of high-fashion, for something a little higher-end that says “Brazil” without saying “Brazil,” consider the cadre of Brazilian fashion designers based in São Paulo. With winter collections being debuted next month at the twice-yearly São Paulo Fashion Week, clothing and accessories from summer collections can be found online or at the designers’ local studio- shops at steep markdowns. Blue and white skull-patterned t-shirts from Brazilian Holiday Gift Guide By Ernest White II, staff writer Please join us in a beautifully decorated member’s home to celebrate Christmas with your AmSoc friends. To get you in the mood there will be plenty of Christmas music, traditional foods including hot turkey sandwiches, home- made cookies and brownies (brought to you by our friend Andy from Beeby’s Gourmet Catering), and of course rich and creamy eggnog! Friday December 2nd 2011 8pm - 10.30pm Address provided upon making your reservation. RSVP is mandatory. R$60 per ticket Call the office until December 1st at 12pm on 5182-2074 or email amsoc1@ americansociety.com.br to reserve your ticket.
Transcript
Monthly NewsletterDecember 2011
www.AmSoc.com.brForum
The Holiday Issue
Page 6: The Angel party 2011 was another great success. See some pictures and find out who our generous sponsors were.
Giving by giving
Page 11: Find out how your Xmas purchases can help local ONGs.
Page 12: Enough about presents already? Discover the festive side of the holidays in São Paulo.
Xmas in São Paulo
The American Society of São Paulo promotes friendship by organizing social, cultural and athletic events for its diverse membership; encourages integration with the Brazilian society; and supports the American traditions of education, philanthropy and volunteerism.
Our Mission
The Holiday Issue
Save the dateSave the dateUpcoming AmSoc events
Dec 2nd - AmSoc Xmas partyJan 28th - Abacaxi bowl
Angel party 2011
AmSoc Annual Christmas Party
Christmastime is here, but it’s not too late to start considering what to get for those folks on your naughty-and-nice lists who don’t live in Brazil. Everyone will want a little memento from the country, but another pair of Havaianas in dayglow colors really won’t do.
Therefore, we’ve put together a little list of Brazilian-flavored items you can find in São Paulo that will at least make you look like you put a modicum of consideration into your gift-giving this year.
For absolute convenience, there’s nothing quicker or easier than stopping at your neighborhood pharmacy and picking up one of the tropical toiletries produced by Granado Pharmácias.
Founded in Rio de Janeiro in 1870, Granado’s soaps, lotions, and creams make for interesting – and inexpensive – presents with their vintage packaging and exotic fragrances such as açaí, castanha do Brasil (Brazil nut), and calendula (marigold). While most pharmacy chains and supermarkets in the city carry the basics, the Granado pharmacies on Rua Haddock Lobo in Jardins and at the Hyatt along the Marginal Pinheiros, carry the full line of Granado products, including
shaving creams, hand- and foot-care lotions, baby and pet care items, Rio-themed toiletry bags and accessories, and gift boxes stuffed with effervescent oils and soaps.
Another pharmacy quick pick is the line of boutique skincare products from supermodel Gisele Bündchen, Sejaa, which is sold online and at Droga Raia locations around the city. With a name inspired in part by the Portuguese verb “to be,” Sejaa products, including face creams and mud masks, contain 100% all-natural ingredients and eco-friendly packaging. The fact that the brand is associated with one of the most famous Brazilians in the world has to count for something.
And speaking of high-fashion, for something a little higher-end that says “Brazil” without saying “Brazil,” consider the cadre of Brazilian fashion designers based in São Paulo.
With winter collections being debuted next month at the twice-yearly São Paulo Fashion Week, clothing and accessories from summer collections can be found online or at the designers’ local studio-shops at steep markdowns. Blue and white skull-patterned t-shirts from
Brazilian Holiday Gift GuideBy Ernest White II, staff writer
Please join us in a beautifully decorated member’s home to celebrate Christmas with your AmSoc friends. To get you in the mood there will be plenty of Christmas music, traditional foods including hot turkey sandwiches, home-made cookies and brownies (brought to you by our friend Andy from Beeby’s Gourmet Catering), and of course rich and creamy eggnog!
Friday December 2nd 20118pm - 10.30pm
Address provided upon making your reservation. RSVP is mandatory.
R$60 per ticketCall the office until December 1st at
12pm on 5182-2074 or email [email protected] to reserve your ticket.
President’s Corner
By Joe Sherman, AmSoc president
Forum December2
Lynn Cordeiro, editor and layoutErnest White II, staff writer
Forum is printed by EGB.(http://www.egb.com.br)
Views expressed in Forum do not necessarily reflect those of the American Society board of governors, members, or staff.
Forum reserves the right to edit content for brevity and/or clarity.
The American Society of São Paulo
Rua da Paz, 1431 04713-001 São Paulo, SPTel: (11) 5182-2074 Fax: (11) 5182-9155
Forum is published monthly, with the exception of January and July, by
Abo
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m
The year is coming to an end and let`s finish on a positive note.
I have always said that sitting in an office in São Paulo and
reading the paper on crime, traffic, and corruption is not what Brazil is all about.
Brazil`s agribusiness sector has experienced many changes and impressive growth in the past decades. I had the opportunity to travel to the state of Mato Grosso in the past few months. In 1960, the sleepy town of Rondonopolis had a population of 22 thousand. Today the city has grown to 200 thousand, an agricultural center that houses business giants such as Bunge, ADM, Nortox agrichemicals, and recently a brewery by Petropolis. You can fly there commercially these days!
I started in the agribusiness field in 1975 and Brazilian soybean production was about 11 million metric tons. Soybean production in the US was 42 million metric tons and production in Argentina was less than a million tons. Last year Brazilian soybean production hit a record at 75.5 million metric tons.
This is impressive when one factors in the lack of infrastructure in terms
of highways and ports, plus the low exchange rate. So the soybean crop grew about 7 times in 35 years, new land under production in the center west of the country, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Goias, Minas Gerais and western Bahia. This “cerrado” area was considered a waste land for many years, only suited for cattle grazing. But with lime, fertilizer, and modern seed technology it has become Brazil’s bread basket.
Soybean production in Mato Grosso in 1975 was about a half a million tons, accounting for 4 % of Brazilian production. Today production is over 20 million metric tons or about 27% of Brazilian production. So, dramatic changes in terms of population movement, new towns sprouting up, growth in agricultural input sales, etc. Soybean production last year in the US was about 90.5 million metric tons, so more than doubled in 35 years.
The winner in terms of growth is Argentina where production totaled 49 million metric tons last year, or 49 times the 1975 figure!
There has also been a dramatic change in Brazilian soybean export volume and destinations. Looking at a shorter time comparison Brazilian soybean exports in 1997 were 7.8 million metric ton, primarily to Europe. That year exports to China were in insignificant. Last year Brazilian soybean exports totaled 29.1
million metric tons, and 19.1 million metric tons, or 66% went to China. Exports to Europe remain at the same level of 13 years ago. So China`s growing middle class has provided a market for Brazilian soybeans, and China now accounts for 60% of the global soybean trade..
If one were to look at the examples of the corn and sugar cane crops there is also a positive story. Corn production has increased to supply expanding domestic broiler and pork sectors, and sugar cane to supply ethanol to the growing flex engine car fleet.
Brazil is the leading exporter of agricultural commodities led by the soy complex, and followed by meats, sugar/ethanol, pulp/paper, and coffee.
In 2010 total Brazilian exports were US$ 202 billion, and the agribusiness exports totaled US$ 76.4 billion or 38%.
Today Brazil has a well balanced agricultural sector, not dependent on single crop, for example as coffee as in the past. The country clearly has a competitive advantage with a tropical climate permitting two crops per year, ample rainfall, and available land located outside the rain forest.
So the outlook for Brazilian agriculture is very positive to continue to supply the growing world demand for food, an exciting market. How about an agricultural tour on our calendar?
We are finishing a positive year at Amsoc having successfully organized many events; Little League, the AGM, 4th of July, the Vida Jovem night, the Angel party- to name a few.
I would like to thank the Board for a job well done and we are looking forward to 2012.
I wish everyone a happy holiday season.
Abraço,Joe
The American Societyof São Paulo
Forum 32011
Welcome to our New MembersWelcome the following New Members who joined us recently. We are very grateful for your support!
NAME MEMBERSHIP TYPE CITIZENSHIP COMPANY OR PROFESSION
Will ARREDONDO Single Patron Membership American Enlaces Consulting
Antonio BERNAL & Carolina GALEANO Family Membership American BNP Paribas Brasil
Mary Andriani & Marcelo R. de CARVALHO
Family Membership American
Charles & Roseli COOKSON Family Membership American / Brazilian
John & Marília DETAR Family Patron Membership American RoiX
Steven & Juliana EDWARDS Family Patron Membership American Ernest & Young
Andrea FLAMENCO & Luis LORA Family Membership Salvadoran
Daniel & Catherine FURLANI Family Membership American General Motors
Jose & Gretchen GARCIA Family Membership American
Enrique & Kennny GARCIA Family Membership American General Electric
Juan G. & Carolina Casanas GIRALDEZ Family Patron Membership American Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP
Sam & Caty GLEASON Family Membership American Nike Inc.
Scott HUDSON & Lisa ALFARO Family Membership American
Michelle SUN & Peter KELMAN Family Membership American
Gil & Judith Gergel ZANCHI Family Membership American/ Swiss Renaissance São Paulo Hotel
The Choir of the Fellowship Community Church will present their annual Christmas concert on Sunday morning, December 11 at 10:30 A.M. The choir is singing a cantata using familiar Christmas music and carols.
This is a great way to enter into the Christmas spirit. Marilyn Mangels conducts the choir and is accompanied by Sergio de Souza at the organ.
The church is located on Rua Carlos Sampaio, 107 and there is nearby parking as well as a nursery for small children. EVERYONE IS WELCOME!!!
Christmas Concert
Forum December4
Brazilian Holiday Gift GuideBy Ernest White II, staff writer
Alexandre Herchcovitch, slinky black formal jumpers from Lino Villaventura, and rose-like summer dresses from Erika Ikezili only scratch the surface of the high-fashion offerings available at comparatively reasonable prices, especially just before Christmas.
One local fashion brand making waves overseas and sure to be a hit with any style-conscious gift recipient on your list is eclectic shoe emporium Melissa, whose plastic, electric blue high heels appeared on the feet of rock starlet Katy Perry on the cover of the store’s magazine, released for the first time outside of Brazil this summer in tandem with fashion monthly V.
Teaming up with Jean-Paul Gautier and Vivienne Westwood, as well as developing their own edgy footwear, the brand’s offerings range from teenage-style flats to sky-high heels to fire engine red galoshes.
Just down the street from Melissa’s ever-changing flagship store on Rua Oscar Freire, Osklen produces casual-chic attire for men, women, and children, emblazoned with Rio-inspired prints and patterns.
With a line of comfortable board shorts for the guy who’s not so interested in squeezing into a sunga on the beach, Osklen recently opened branches in New York and Miami Beach, but picking up a swimsuit for your sweetie from one of the US locations doesn’t count.
If traditional handicrafts are the type of gift you’re after, there is plenty on offer at São Paulo’s many sustainable art emporiums. These shops specialize in arts and crafts produced by local communities with environmentally sound production methods and materials, often involving recycling and other re-use processes.
One of the largest vendors of sustainable merchandise in town, Casa da Vila, has over 3,000 fair trade and otherwise sustainable items from various regions of Brazil for sale at its Vila Mariana location, a charming
82-year-old townhouse. Choose from accessories like flowery hair bows and quilted pillow cushions, wooden puzzles and terra cotta dolls, kitschy key chains, scented oils and candles, wooden instruments, puffs made from recyclables – you name it, Casa da Vila’s got it.
Another sustainable enterprise that’s also good for gift grabbing is Projeto Terra, a local NGO with merchandise for sale at its ecologically sound offices in Vila Madalena. Desk sets for the busy office, sturdy kitchenware, innovative bathroom and home furnishings, and one-of-a-kind jewelry made by homegrown artisans round out Projeto Terra’s collection.
And for a much more obvious Brazilian touch, the artwork at Galeria Arte Brasileira comes from an array of local communities throughout the country, produced from the same varied multitude of ethnic groups that comprise Brazil’s tremendously cosmopolitan social fabric. Paintings, sketches, wood carvings and statuary, quilts, hammocks, and myriad other expressions of Brazilian folk art can be purchased at the gallery, which has been supporting local artisans for over 80 years. (For our special on ONG gifts please read the article on page 11).
For glossier keepsakes, have you ever considered museum shops for gift buying? The store at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) on Avenida Paulista contains coffee table books, illustrative post cards, and souvenir prints of artwork currently and previously displayed within the museum complement the store’s
offerings. Other museum stores sure to
have interesting, beautiful, and even thought-provoking gifts include those of the Pinacoteca do Estado art museum, located downtown; the Museu Afro Brasil, Museu de Arte Moderna (MAM), and Museu de Arte Contemporânea (MAC) in Parque do Ibirapuera’s Museum Mile; the Museu de Futebol, located at the base of Pacaembu Stadium; and the Museu da Imagem e do Som (MIS) digital art museum and Museu da Casa Brasileira, which hosts items used throughout history in Brazilian homes, both in the Jardim Europa area of Jardins.
Another departure from the mundane would be to take advantage of Brazil’s agricultural bounty and give gifts of coffee or chocolate.
São Paulo’s fortune was made in the coffee fields, and the country is still the world’s top coffee producer. Gourmet coffee shops such as the upscale Suplicy Cafés Especiais, with five locations in the metro area, and Santo Grão, with six, offer a
full line of ground and whole Arabica coffee beans in packages of up to one kilogram.
Or, you can dip into one of the city’s numerous chocolate shops for a deliciously varied selection of cocoa confections.
Chains such as Ofner and Cacau Show offer candies, cakes, brownies, and other assorted sweets, goodies, and bon-bons made from Brazilian chocolate at low- to mid-range prices. Specialty shops such as Chocolat des Arts feature high-end chocolate from expert national producers like renowned Bahia-based chocolatier AMMA.
So even though it still might be tempting to pick up a pair of yellow, green, and blue plastic slip-ons named for an American state for this year’s stocking fillers, you also just might make your family and friends happier by offering up a few of Brazil’s other wonders.
Cacau Show www.cacaushow.com.brDozens of outlets in São Paulo
Casa da Vila www.casadavila.com.brRua Capitão Cavalcante 82, Vila MarianaTel: 5575-2757
Chocolat des Arts www.chocolatsdesarts.com.brRua Diogo Jácome 360, MoemaTel: 3044-7431
Galeria Arte Brasileira www.galeriaartebrasileira.com.brAlameda Lorena 2163, JardinsTel: 3062-9452
Granado Pharmácias www.granado.com.brRua Haddock Lobo 1353, JardinsTel: 3061-0891Hyatt Hotel, Av. das Nações Unidas 13301, Itaim Bibi, Tel: 5505-0899
Lino Villaventura www.linovillaventura.com.brRua Bela Cintra 1938, JardinsTel: 3083-4019
Melissa www.melissa.com.brRua Oscar Freire 827, JardinsTel: 3083-3612
Museu Afro Brasil Store www.museuafrobrasil.org.brRua Pedro Álvares Cabral, Pq. do IbirapueraTel: 4004-5006
Museu de Arte Contemporânea (MAC) Store www.mac.usp.brRua Pedro Álvares Cabral, Pq. do IbirapueraTel: 5573-9932
Museu de Arte Moderna (MAM) Store www.mam.org.brRua Pedro Álvares Cabral, Pq. do IbirapueraTel: 5085-1300
Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP) Store www.masp.art.brAv. Paulista 1578, Bela VistaTel: 3251-5644
Museu da Casa Brasileira Store www.mcb.sp.gob.brAv. Brig. Faria Lima 2705, Jardim EuropaTel: 3032-3727
Museu do Futebol Store www.museudofutebol.org.brPraça Charles Miller 1, PacaembuTel: 3663-3848
Museu da Imagem e do Som (MIS) Store www.mis-sp.org.brAv. Europa 158, Jardim EuropaTel: 2117-4777
Ofner www.ofner.com.br20 outlets in São Paulo
Osklen www.osklen.comRua Oscar Freire 645, Jardins, Tel: 3083-7977Shopping Cidade Jardim, Av. Magalhães de Castro 12000, ButantãTel: 3758-5035
Pinacoteca do Estado www.pinacoteca.org.brPraça da Luz 2, Bom RetiroTel: 3324-1000
Projeto Terra www.projetoterra.com.brRua Harmonia 150 Loja 4, Vila MadalenaTel: 3034-3550
Santo Grão www.santograo.com.brAv. Jeronimo da Veiga 179, Itaim BibiTel: 3071-3169Av. Moema 493, MoemaTel: 5051-8069Rua Fradique Coutinho 915, Vila MadalenaTel: 3034-3164Rua Oscar Freire 413, JardinsTel: 3082-9969Shopping Cidade Jardim, Av. Magalhães de Castro 12000, ButantãTel: 3552-7700Shopping Higienópolis, Av. Higienópolis 618, ConsolaçãoTel: 3661 2496
Sejaa Pure Skincarewww.sejaa.com or at Droga Raia www.drogaraia.com.br
Especiaiswww.suplicy.com.brAlameda Lorena 1430, JardinsTel: 3083-0666Rua Renato Paes de Barros 198, Itaim BibiTel: 3079-7926Shopping Iguatemi, Av. Brig. Faria Lima 2232, Pinheiros, Tel: 3814-8696Shopping Market Place, Av. Dr. Chucri Zaidan 902, Morumbi, Tel: 5181-2929Shopping Pátio Paulista, Rua 13 de Maio 1947, Bela Vista, Tel: 3262-2870
Brazilian Holiday Gift Directory
Forum December6
The BIG Angel Party Thank You PageEvery year we’re astounded by the
generosity of our community. This year’s Angel Party took place with several new donors and the amazing support of those who have helped us in the past and were able to do so again.
• Thanks to Gerson & Grey, which transported and safely stored our gift bags before the party. With 220 huge bags, we can’t do the party without their behind-the-scenes help. Gerson & Grey at (11) 3817-4787.
• ThankyoutoMichael Allegra and the Grand Hyatt São Paulo, our newest partner, for the 80 kilos of delicious candy they donated – and for the beautiful spread to make sure each child get enough sugar to last a year!
• Chapel School was fantastic again, and special thanks to Daniela, Marcia and John for their gentle guidance in tense moments! Nathalia and the security and maintenance team were (yet again) perfect. Thank you Chapel. http://www.chapelschool.com
• Thanks to McDonald’s! They donated lunch for 300 happy children and helpers and sent along balloon and make up artists to add to the fun.
• Another fun new partner was theCorinthians Steamrollers football team. (Not soccer: football as we Americans know it!) Several of their players taught football skills to our guests and awarded team shirts to two very happy teenage boys. http://corinthiansfootball.com.br
• TheguestsworecolorfulT-shirts to theparty, a different color for each institution invited. One thousand thanks to the recruiting firm Michael Page for funding this. www.michaelpage.com.br.
• General Mills donated Nature Valley granola bars and Häagen-Dazs ice cream. It waas a real treat to have such delicious snacks. Thank you!
• ThankyoutoAline and Carlos Ricardo for donating Sonho de Valsa chocolates for prizes. That was a crowded game!
• Editora IPEP donated nearly 100 books. We’re excited to see children exposed to literature and able to help each institution’s growing library. Thank you! http://www.ibep-nacional.com.br.
• Thanks to General Brands do Brasil for individual boxes of juice for our guests. It really hit the spot all that sunny afternoon.
• Gold and white was the color schemethis year as Sheila Moura of Oficina de Festas decorated Chapel School with hundreds of gorgeous balloon sculptures. www.oficinadefestas.com.br or 11-4992-8009.
• ThankyoutoYamin Chiang for the cute Chinese umbrellas she donated for prizes. The little girls loved them!
• Thanks also to Pete Lawlis for his donation towards our prizes for the sports competitions!
• Major thanks to PepsiCo do Brasil which supplied us with soft drinks. There was nothing left when the day was done!
• We have a few thousand fabulousphotos of the party thanks to our amazing team of photographers: Robin Bregman, Richard and Miranda Salazar, Pilar Ruiz DelaTorre, Tina Smith, Heather Queiroz, Marie Louise Miller, Erin Hooley, Leslie Reed and José Lizárraga.
• Cipolatti donated a lovely Christmas tree and two red thrones for our Santas. The party isn’t complete without Cipolatti’s beautiful contributions. www.cipolatti.com.br.
• Habib’s donated 80 pizzas to feed guests and workers throughout the afternoon. Delicious! Order Habib’s at 5696-2828.
• General Motors do Brasil donated 250 caps, T-shirts and cloth bags for kids to carry their prizes in. Thank you for everything!
• Malu Felsberg donated several trays of delicious brigadeiros. It’s a treat the kids love. Thank you!
• ThankyoutoAlcoa. They made a large cash donation which we used to buy the hundreds of toys, sunglasses and candy given away as prizes.
• The Graded Cubs and Boy Scouts had the difficult job of hunting down every piece of trash on the entire Chapel campus and making sure it was put in a trash can. Thank you!
• We love our two Santas and SantaHelpers. Thank you Alan Blau, Ricardo Rubeiz, Rachel Jaquery and Julia Bandeira!
• Thegiftbagseachchildreceivedat theend of the party were the finishing touch. We thank all the 220 gift bag sponsors and cash donors for their much needed financial support, clothes, shoes, toys, candy, wrapping paper, labeling, plastic bags and most of all…love.
• A huge thanks to the 225 amazing volunteers who worked all day in the sun, testing out long-unused muscles, bending, hugging, wiping and caring - each wearing a red T-shirt and a huge smile.
• Finally, the Angel Party Planning Team was incredible. You know who you are – you were at monthly meetings, slogged through countless emails, drove many miles, made many phone calls, hit many shopping malls, analyzed many Excel spreadsheets and did all of the work behind the scenes. To those not part of the team, it sounds painful but we’ll do it all again next year, with great enthusiasm. Why don’t you join us?
The American Societyof São Paulo
2010 Forum 72011
The BIG Angel Party Picture PageHere are just a few of the hundreds of pictures snapped on November 5 during the 2011 American Society Angel Party. It
was a fun day of bright sunshine, hamburgers, candy, ice cream, flying footballs, dancing dogs, Brazil’s Justin Bieber, plenty of laughing and eating and lots of presents from Santa Claus for our 220 guests.
Thank you to everyone who made this happen! You made a difference. Happy Holidays!
Forum December8
Lights, Lights, Everywhere!
It’s that time of the year again and to me, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Family and friends get together on Christmas Eve for a gastronomical feast and exchange dozens of gifts, forgetting all the daily problems and focusing on having a good time.
Every house and public landmark gets decorated with millions of lights. Everything is bright and beautiful! And even though we don’t have snow in Brazil to complete the picture, I am here to tell you where you can find the best displays of Christmas decorations and light shows around the country. I’ll even tell you where to find snow... well, kinda!
Christmas in Brazil is one of the biggest parties of the year. In Rio de Janeiro there is a tradition of setting
up a floating tree in the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon which is considered the world’s largest tree, with 82 meters high and illuminated by 2.8 million Christmas lights, 26,000 meters of illuminated hose and eight “moving lights”.
The novelty is that the decorations - angels, stars and musical notes - were created and designed
to be very similar to kind you would find on your Christmas tree at home. The public can see the tree until All Kings Day on January 6, when the structure is taken down.
In São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil, the focus is on the malls that compete for best decoration. If you are interested to see beautiful displays you do not have to go any further than Shopping Patio Higienópolis and their wonderful carrousel and the true animated masterpieces of
Shopping Iguatemi. In addition, the streets are illuminated
and each year they excel in bright decorations, providing tourists and locals with a magical spectacle. Pay a visit to Rua Normandia in Moema. For six years now, Rua Normandia is a symbol of Christmas in the city of São Paulo. With just over 100 meters, the street has 36 gift, decoration and fashion shops and it becomes an entirely decorated and illuminated boulevard that also includes a fake snow shower that definitely looks like the real deal. Every year, thousands of people go there and take their kids to enjoy the charming decoration of the street.
And of course don’t forget to head up to Avenida Paulista (see below) to see the banks putting up a marvellous show.
Picturesque towns such as Campos do Jordão in São Paulo State and Gramado and Canela in Rio Grande do Sul are also beautifully decorated, this time with a more European touch.
The big highlight in Gramado and Canela is Natal-Luz, the name given to the display of lights and decorations in both towns with brilliant decorations made from recycled materials with great visual impact.
Both cities are entirely decorated with lights and are wonderful if you feel like you need some old-fashioned Christmas spirit! Gramado even has the City of Santa Claus opened for visitation year round.
The brightness of the lights is also one of the highlights of the celebration in Curitiba. The Christmas spirit is contagious throughout the city, and the program is spread to various parts of the city. The Christmas festival runs from December 1 to January 6, with choir presentations at Palácio Avenida always on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 9pm.
However, nothing of what I mentioned compares to what the capital of the country, Brasília, does in terms of visual impact.
E s p l a n a d a dos Ministérios with the two tall congress buildings is surrounded by beautiful lights, truly bright necklaces that can be seen from far away. The highlight
is Brasilia’s TV Tower, which is transformed into a giant Christmas tree.
There’s also the Christmas Serenade, a group of students from the University of Brasilia (from 200 to 300 students) that walk around the city at night ringing bells and calling people to the streets to sing joyful songs with them. The most-requested songs are “Eu pensei que todo mundo fosse filho de Papai Noel”, “Dorme a Cidade” and “Cavaleiros Reis.”
These are just some of the most beautiful Christmas displays around Brazil! Gather the family and go visit one of them! Not only will you have a wonderful time but they also make for great family pictures!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to Everyone!
Melissa Harkin runs a translation company called Melissa Harkin Translations – www.melissaharkin.com – [email protected] (11-8428-8714)
Fellowship Community ChurchThe Welcome Place since 1921
Phone (11) 3253-7609 www.fellowship.com.br
Sunday’s09:00 am - Walking in Faith Classes (English and Portuguese)
10:30 am – Worship Service (English only)
06:00 pm – Culto em português
Conveniently located on Rua Carlos Sampaio, 107 – Bela VistaJust a block and a half from the Brigadeiro Metro station on the Avenida Paulista
Forum December10
Christmas: a time for joy and generosity, a time for family reunions, a time for eating panettone and decorating the tree. But Christmas is also used to launch the world’s largest marketing campaign. Year after year stores, companies and their advertising agencies try to lure consumers into spending more money with them than on any other day during the year - all in the name of Christmas.
The focus of Christmas has long been changed from celebrating the birth of Jesus to the more secular theme of ‘gift giving’.
Since even though the shortened term “Xmas” originates from the use of the Greek letter chi to represent “Christ” the mention of Christmas has now been generally replaced with the more generic and inclusive term “holidays” by corporations.
Still, the laic imagery of Santa Claus and the religious iconography of the Nativity coexist uneasily in contemporary society. On Christmas
eve churches display scenes of the birth of Jesus while Santa permeates the exhibition elsewhere, mainly in large scale shopping centers.
Traditional Christmas imagery often shows a family working together in putting ornaments on the tree and in wrapping presents while humming carols.
These Victorian images infiltrate our conception of Christmas, which dates from the 1800s.
Both Clement Clarke Moore in America and Charles Dickens in England wrote their famous holiday-themed stories in the middle of that century, but the more critical factor was that industrial productivity had developed to the point where it needed mass consumption to accompany it.
Thus, the commercialism of Christmas that we know today emerged in the Victorian age and extended to the Modern age.
As advertising became more complex, it included inherently Christmas images as holly and mistletoe and by the 1920s these were linked to the promotion of products.
In 1931, Coca-Cola commissioned artist Haddon Sundblom to draw images of Santa taking a swig from a Coke bottle. Sundblom’s Santa is currently the definitive image of a jolly, plump, grand-fatherly Santa dressed in a red
suit trimmed with white fur. Never did he portray religious images of the birth of Jesus, the true origin of the holiday.
The materialism of Christmas derives from the dual nature of the gifts given: the physical thing bought in a crowded, garishly decorated store and the vehicle of affection that expresses sentiment within a relationship. The institutions of marketing that infiltrate our lives have promoted Christmas primarily as a time for shopping and if you live in the US or in Brazil, commercialism pervades the celebration: Department stores and other institutions do a disproportionate part of their annual business during this season.
Today it seems few seem to stop and think of what we are celebrating while they rush through shopping centers to buy the latest and greatest products that have been pushed onto their minds since October.
But no matter how you celebrate Christmas, the coming of December 25 also evokes nostalgia for tradition. The lyrics to the famous song “Jingle Bells” immortalize bells, children, and singing as the necessary components of a perfect Christmas.
So think about this, think about the wonder of Christmas, how you remember it as a child and try to forget about wrapping paper and gift receipts just for a little. Your celebration will be that much richer, I promise!
Christmas AdvertisingBy Isabella Freyre
The American Societyof São Paulo
2011 Forum 11
Gifts That Keep On Giving
Going home for the holidays and want to bring back something special and “Brazilian”? Have guests who want to bring back an interesting souvenir?
Or do you just want to add a funky new item to your personal collection?
You can do all of the above, and ‘do good’ at the same time by purchasing arts and crafts from local Brazilian nonprofit organizations and social enterprises.
The variety, quality and sophistication of handmade goods has improved considerably over the years and today Brazil offers some of the most charming, fun and original artisanal work in the world.
One can buy handmade home decoration, bed and bath items, handbags, candles, toys, you name it, at a decent price, both in high street shops and online. Unlike buying your Christmas gifts in large department stores, when you buy from artisans and their representatives, your money goes directly to supporting their livelihoods, their families and maintaining important cultural traditions in Brazil.
The number one online provider of high quality artisanal goods is Rio de Janeiro based Rede Asta, a nonprofit which provides capacity building and general support to a select network of 38 productive artisanal groups, comprising over 700 artisans in the city and state of Rio de Janeiro.
Rede Asta sells their unique products through representatives with catalogs, like Avon or Natura, online through the site http://www.asta.org.br/produtos.php or by telephone (21) 2560.5356, with delivery to anywhere in Brazil. Asta´s vision is that responsible consumerism can be used by citizens as a powerful tool for economic and social inclusion.
Asta offers products ranging from
Rio-themed decorative throw pillows and swimsuit cover-ups, to handbags to cheerful floral fabric covered notebooks and pencils. They even sell greeting cards and handmade cloth bags to wrap your presents in.
Another option, here in São Paulo, is Tekoha, also a nonprofit which
sells and distributes handmade goods made by communities of artisans in five Brazilian states.
Tekoha has a physical store on the second floor of Café Ekoa, Rua Fradique Coutinho, 914, in Vila Madalena. Visitors can have a fresh tropical juice or enjoy a coffee while perusing the selection of handmade goods for sale.
Alternatively, one can visit the Central Artesol showroom, located on Rua Pamplona, 1005 (4th floor) in Jardim Paulista. For who doesn´t want to brave the São Paulo traffic, you can buy Tekoha goods online at www.redetekoha.com.br .
Like Rede Asta, Tekoha also offers capacity-building and support to its artisans so that they gain valuable skills and benefit from their participation in the network.
The organization´s mission is to help communities generate their own income and thereby make a concrete contribution to the eradication of poverty.
Some of the products offered by artisans in the Tekoha network include original corporate ‘brindes’ to distribute at corporate events such as colorful pencil holders made in the Amazon and bright cotton Christmas ornaments made by teenagers in Pernambuco. In addition to a wide array of crafts, Tekoha also offers handmade food baskets stuffed with delicious organic jams, juices, cookies and teas.
One company that doesn´t neatly fit
into the definition of social enterprise or nonprofit, like the examples above, but which provides income generation for over 300 renaissance lace artisans in the northeast of Brazil is Fatima Rendas with its headquarters in Recife.
Fatima Rendas is a family company in the market for over 30 years still headed by its founder Maria de Fátima Xavier Mergulhão. The company does not yet have an online store but perhaps you have walked by their stores in airports such as Guarulhos, Congonhas, Salvador or Recife and admired the intricate, hand-sewn, lace designed women´s and baby clothing, lingerie, handkerchiefs and table accessories.
The extremely high quality comes with a price, but you will walk out of the store with an original piece of art which will not only please the receiver of the gift but that also contributes to maintaining this unique Brazilian lace-making tradition alive at the same time contributing to the socio-economic development of over 300 households in the northeast of Brazil.
The benefits to buying artisanal products, according to Alice Freitas, Executive Director of the Instituto Asta which created Rede Asta are that “the sales immediately and constantly contribute to the artisan´s income (thereby) improving their families’ quality of life and recognizing the producers as entrepreneurs and talented artisans.”
So when you head out to do your Christmas or souvenir shopping, buy something beautiful for yourself and do something beautiful for others!
By Jennifer Iverson, AmSoc board member
Forum December12
Board Bio
Ruth HollardExecutive Secretary and member of social committee
I have had a very cool life so far, and I have a feeling it’s only just beginning.
I was born in Pennsylvania, where I had a idyllic childhood- playing in the woods, climbing trees, making forts, sledding with my 2 brothers, reading books.
When my dad decided he wanted to play golf year-round, we moved to southern Louisiana. From then on, we lived and breathed LSU (Louisiana State University), shrimp, crawfish boils, mardi-gras, LSU and more LSU.
When I was 18, I was a foreign exchange student in Austria for a year with AFS and it was the best year of my life! I lived with an Austrian family in a village tucked into the Austrian alps and skied, iceskated, sledded, and partied all year.
After thus being bit by the travel bug, I returned to Louisiana where I enrolled at LSU in International Trade and Finance.
During my junior year, I decided I wanted to learn French, so, much to my parents’ dismay, I took a semester off and ran off to Provence to restore medieval ruins and learn French.
It was a fantastic experience and not only did I learn French quickly through total immersion, but I also had the incredible experience of helping to restore medieval ruins using the original building techniques and tools. (As a mother, you never know when you might need to build a perfectly vertical stone wall without mortar… )
After graduating from LSU, I headed to Switzerland to work for Citibank on an AIESEC traineeship.
We trainees skied and traveled almost every weekend and when I visited Paris for the first time, I had an incredible feeling that this is where I needed to be.
Just two months after moving to Paris, waiting for a ski train at the Gare de Lyon train station, I met my French husband Patrick. We married
in Louisiana and after 10 more years in beautiful Paris, we moved to São Paulo with our 3 children for what was to be a 3-year assignment for my husband’s job.
The 3-year expat stint turned into 4 years, then 5, then 6, and then after our 4th child was born here, we decided to aquire Brazilian nationality and put down roots.
But life isn’t always the way you plan it to be, and in 2008 I embarked on a new journey, this time as a single mom. I decided to stay in Brazil so the kids could be close to their father.
But being a single mom without having any family within 10,000 miles was a challenge.
One of the things that helped me through this period was the fantastic group of friends I made through being on the American Society Board. I can honestly say that many of these board member friends I consider to be my “family” here in Brazil.
And not only did I make loads of new friends but I also was able to re-connect with my American rootswhich I had unwittingly buried during two decades abroad. It also filled a void in my life, and that was the sense of “community” that I had never been able to replicate in Paris nor in São Paulo, before joining the board.
So if you are new to São Paulo and looking to make new friends, or an “old-timer” wishing to re-connect with your American roots, please consider being on a committee or joining the board.
For me, it made São Paulo feel like home.
The American Societyof São Paulo
2011 Forum 13
Cougars win 3rd Softball ChampionshipOver two weekends in November,
AmSoc hosted their annual softball championship. For the third year in a row, the games were held at the sporting complex CT Yakult, in Ibuina.
Six teams participated with 80 players in total. The first weekend comprised of a round robin cycle to determine the seeds for the Final rounds two Sundays, which matched the undefeated AmSoc team against the fourth-seeded GM, and the Cougars against SMAB.
AmSoc nudged GM 6-4 in a tensely played game in which GM had the bases
loaded in the bottom of the seventh and only 1 out before AmSoc´s defense stymied them. On the other side, the Cougars won decisively by completing their 3 straight shutout 5-0. Then in the finals, the first inning set the tone when the Cougars lead off with a HR and 4 more runs in the top of the first. AmSoc squad battled back in the bottom of the first with 2 HRs and 3 runs, but it was not enough to overcome the Cougar´s solid hitting and fielding, winning their third title
14-5. Ed Rajah won the tournament’s MVP award for his superb pitching!
On November 18th, on an absolutely beautiful golfing day, the 6th Challenge Golf Cup took place at the Guararpiranga Golf & Country Club. It was a highly competitive and tensely played golf match, as always, but being a “Best ball Scramble” format, everybody said they had a great fun. And the score card (seen below) proved so, for of the 8 groups that competed, the team score was AmSoc 4.0 and St. Andrews 4.0. However, St. Andrews retained possession of the Munro Cup for their fourth overall victory based on a tie-breaking lower total team net strokes of 643 to 656.
St. Andrews wins 4th Challenge Golf Cup in a tie-breaker
Softball Championship 2011
Team W L Pos.
Cougars 6 1 1
AmSoc 6 1 2
SMAB 3 3 3
GM 1 4 4
US Consulate 1 4 5
Alphaville 0 4 6
HR Derby 2011
Batter Team HRs Pos.
Alex AmSoc 3 1
Matt Cougars 2 2
Rich Cougars 2 2
Jeff AmSoc 1 3
Silvio SMAB 1 3
Munro cup being awarded by
Conrad Munro
GM’s captain Shawn Ryan batting
The Cougars
American-Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Heloisa Garman, Psy.D. U.S.-licensed Clinical Psychologist (covered by U.S. health insur-ance). Bilingual, with extensive private practice in Chicago and former therapist at the Family Institute at Northwestern Uni. Treats individu-als, couples, and families. Specialized in anxi-ety, depression, cultural issues, and adjustment disorders. Call Dr. Garman at (11)7179-9723 or 3898-2330 or send an e-mail to [email protected].
For Sale -
2008 GM Zafira Expression
2.0 Flex engine automatic (mint condition), ABS, airbag, alarm, on board computer, cruise control, digital air conditioner, power steering, antivandalism insulfilm protection. 7 seats, 78.000 KM, single owner, all maintenance done at dealer, new brakes, tires, oil change with fil-ter, kept in covered garage. Price R$ 41.000,00. Please contact Eileen Tasso 11-5644 5482 (h)
Sale: Hyundai Santa Fé
I am selling a Hyundai Santa Fé 2007/2008, black, gas. Plate final 0. Sole owner. 54.000 Km. Contact: Renato Opice Blum – (11) 2189-0061
Personal Trainer
I will come to your home, office, or workout fa-cility and create an exercise/fitness program tai-lored to your health concerns, fitness goals, and schedule. For adults and children, individuals or groups. Sessions in English, Spanish, or Por-tuguese. For more information please contact Daniela Franco at (11) 9739-6191 or [email protected].
Argos Dog Kennel Traveling? What about your dog? Argos Kennel Hotel could be his second home in the coun-try. Food, water, and shelter with lots of love and personal care. No lonely kennel for him, but our home and the freedom of a spacious garden. Fetch and carry service. English and French spoken. Call Jean or Christiane at (11) 4661-1430 or (11) 7143-0837 or send an e-mail to [email protected]. Embu Guaçu, SP.
Math and Science Tutor
Former Graded and Chapel teacher, with 25-years experience, tutors Math, Physics, Chemis-try, and Science for all levels, including but not limited to the IB, IGCSE, SAT-I & II, AP and Brazilian vestibular. Elementary and middle school students are also welcome (all subjects). Call Fernando Knijnik at (11) 9134-6700.
American-Licensed Expat Psychologist
Richard Morhaime, Psy.D., offers skilled psy-chotherapy for children and adults. He also pro-vides complete diagnostic evaluations in Eng-lish for children with academic or behavioral difficulties, featuring individualized recommen-dations for school and home. For more infor-mation, contact Dr. Morhaime at 5538-0099 or 9669-8057 or visit www.expatpsychologist.com.br
American-Licensed Psychotherapist
In this busy and ever-changing world, people of-ten feel stressed and overwhelmed with no place to turn. Psychotherapy/counseling can provide a safe place to receive professional guidance and support. Brief or longer-term therapy offered depending on your needs, goals and expecta-tions. Services: individual, couples, child/ado-lescent. Certified to conduct Adoption Home Study for American Citizens. Contact: Pamela Wax, MSW/LCSW at 5051-5988 or 9656-2106 or send an e-mail to [email protected]. Lo-cated in Moema.
clASSifieDS
Forum December14
Housing
Furnished apartment for rent
Vila Nova Conceição. São Paulo’s Best place to live. Near Ibirapuera Park. Modern building with sports facilities, heated swimming pool, three bedrooms (one suite), a living room with terrace, complete kitchen, maid’s bedroom and bathroom, big service area, two parking spaces. Fully furnished with all appliances. Call Alex or Eliane at (11) 3849-7085 or (11) 8635-7788, or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Looking for apartments
Looking for furnished, fully equipped apart-ments in São Paulo. Offer management, pro-motion, purchasing, remodeling and decoration services for your property. We will rent your flat to foreign tourists & executives visiting the city looking for alternative accommodations. Highly experienced specialized international group. Contact: Paola B. de Estrada 9210-2201, [email protected] or www.apartmentssp.com
Apartment for rent near Graded
Apartment for rent/sale: Lovely duplex for fam-ily moving to São Paulo. 2 blocks from Graded School, hardwood floors, designer kitchen, plenty of natural light,ready to move in. Please contact Jessica at 11-6076-3263 or [email protected]. Also have other apartments in the Morumbi/Panamby region. English and Spanish spoken. Imoveis no Pana-mby.
House in a charming condo
For rent / sale: Lovely house in Vila América Condominium. Located just a few minutes from shopping cidade jardim and ponte morumbi. São Paulo’s best place to live. 4 suites, Office, Adega, Outside gourmet station, Air condition-ing, 4 autos parking.Contact: Roberta (11)8256-9543
A classified of up to 350 characters costs R$55 for AmSoc members and R$80 for non-members. To place a classified please call (11) 5182-2074 from 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Plac
e a
Clas
sified
Forum does not check all of the advertisers appearing in this newsletter. We urge you to use these services; however, thoroughly check prices and services prior to finalizing any service or purchase agreement.
A No
te to
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Services
The American Societyof São Paulo
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Visit our website at www.amsoc.com.br and fill in our on-line formor call the AmSoc office at 5182-2074
2011 Forum 15
cAlenDAr
Learn more about this month’s AmSoc events (highlighted) at www.AmSoc.com.br.December 2011
02 Friday AmSoc Annual Christmas Party In a beautifully decorated member’s home, with all the traditions of Christmas. Cocktail: 8:00 pm-10:30pm.
03 Saturday Christmas Potluck and AGM of Canadian International Society
For more information visit www.cisbrazil.org
05 Monday Scottish Country Dancing Club Outside Drake’s Pub, in the Brazilian British Centre in Pinheiros, at 8 pm. Please visit www.standrews.com.br for more details
06 Tuesday International Wives of Brazilians: Cookie Exchange
Bake a few dozen of your favorite cookies, bring them to the Cookie Exchange, and take home dozens of cookies made by your friends.
07 Wednesday INC Monthly Coffee & Bazaar For more information visit www.newcomers-sp.com.br
08 - 13 The Nutcracker The Cisnei Negro Cia. de Dança celebrates 34 years of existence and success the show “The Nutcracker” of Tchaikovsky. In the foyer of the Teatro Alfa will be Christmas choir presentations. To buy your ticket visit www.ingressorapido.com.br or you can go personally to Teatro Alfa.
10 Saturday INC Holiday Party Come and join us for a Family Open House. There will be food, drinks and activities. Let’s get together and celebrate with old and new INC friends. Time: 13:00 – 17:00. Location: To be determined. The families have to bring soft drinks and desserts. RSVP before Monday, 5th of December 2011 to [email protected]
11 & 18 Sunday The Nutcracker Infant session The Infant Cisnei Negro Cia. de Dança present the show “The Nutcracker” of Tchaikovsky for children. To buy your ticket visit www.ingressorapido.com.br
11 Sunday Annual Christmas Concert at Fellowship Church
The choir is singing a cantata using familiar Christmas music and carols. The church is located on Rua Carlos Sampaio, 107 and there is nearby parking as well as a nursery for small children. Starts at 10:30 am. EVERYONE IS WELCOME!!!
13 Tuesday Jon Anderson Show (from the Yes Band)
The singer of the legendary group Yes from 1960 to 1970. Jon plays alone, accompanied only by a guitar and a keyboard playing his great successes. Will be at Citibank Hall. To buy your ticket visit www.credicard.com.br/citibank-hall
13 Tuesday Jorge Durian in Concert Jorge Durian will make a tribute to Luciano Pavarotti, accompanied by choir and orchestra, conducted Maestro Renato Misiuk. Jorge Durian was applauded by Luciano Pavarotti, It will be at Praca Julio Prestes, 16 - Campos Elíseos. Starts at 9 pm. To buy your ticket visit www.ingressorapido.com.br
24 Saturday Traditional Christmas Eve candlelight service
Christmas story, carols, music and more. It will be at 7:30 pm at Fellowship Church.
Christmas beyond the presentsBy Maureen Kennedy Alves, AmSoc board member
I grew up in a large Irish Catholic family. By large, I mean six children: Three boys and three girls. Six kids may not seem like a lot until you consider that we were all born within eight years of each other. And there are no twins (unless you count Irish twins, in which case we have two sets of them).
Our family slightly resembled the Brady Bunch in that our birth order went boy, girl, boy, girl, boy, girl (with the role of Cindy being played by yours truly). Unfortunately, that’s pretty much where the similarities ended. My parents – who will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary next year – were not cool divorcées; we had no Alice; we lived in the cold northeast instead of sunny California; and much to my chagrin, none of us girls had hair of gold like our mother and mine was certainly not in curls.
One thing that our house did share with the Bradys, though, was the chaos that generally comes with having a large enough brood to make your own basketball team – with an extra player to spare. Just as there was always something brewing at the Brady house, there was nary a dull moment in mine. We were an action-packed family and never was this more true than around Christmastime.
From the first of December – the day we started opening the little windows on our chocolate Advent calendar, counting down to the big day – life seemed like a whirlwind of holiday parties, recitals, Christmas cookie decorating, shopping, and putting up the tree. As a kid, I was aware of the energy of it all, but still, it just seemed like a lead in, a build-up to what was to me (and probably every other kid on the planet) the most important part of the holiday: Presents.
When the chips were down, what I cared about most was the Christmas tree. Or more specifically, what was under it. I couldn’t wait to see what Santa would bring me. Not to mention what I would get from my brothers and sisters (extra Christmas presents was my favorite part of being in such a big family). And lest you think I was totally self-absorbed (although, alas, I was), I did at times
think about what I would buy for others – which usually was a toss-up between a butterscotch Lifesaver storybook or a giant Hershey’s kiss.
Funnily enough, despite my obsession with presents, when I look back at Christmases from my childhood, it’s not the gifts that I remember. It’s not even the wild frenzy my siblings and I were whipped into while opening our Christmas loot. In fact, it’s just the opposite.
What I remember most were all those things that felt like the build-up – the rituals my mother and father created around the holiday that I could count on year after year. Decorating the tree with my brothers and sisters. Hanging holiday cards around the fireplace mantel. Eating a turkey dinner in the dining room on Christmas Eve, followed by the Kennedy kid band (complete with a trombone, saxophone, trumpet, drums and two clarinets) playing Christmas carols for my poor parents. And later, midnight Mass.
What I have understood from this is the importance of traditions. They are perhaps the best holiday gift we can give to ourselves and to our families because they ground us, make us feel rooted in a world that is constantly changing. We may find ourselves in Chicago one year and São Paulo the next, but our traditions stay with us, providing a continuity that reminds us our life is part of something bigger.
As for me, I’m all grown up now and no longer play the clarinet or give Lifesaver storybooks as presents, but you can still find me following many of the same holiday traditions I did as a kid. And I’m thinking when I look back thirty years from now, it will be what I most remember.
Holiday traditions, São Paulo style
Whether you want to add some local flavor to your traditions or are looking for things that remind you of home, here are some ideas to help you get started.
Bake it. There’s no better way to get in the holiday spirit
than making cookies. Check out www.barradoce.com.br if you need
Christmas-themed cookie cutters. And download some Christmas carols on iTunes to get you in the spirit while you bake.
See the tree lighting at Ibirapuera Park. Okay, so it’s not Rockefeller Center. But there’s an
amazing show – complete with music and fireworks – that shouldn’t be missed. Call (11) 5574-5045 for date and time.
Hit the ice. Ice skating was one of my favorite holiday activities
as a child. Luckily, you can do it right here in São Paulo, in the summer, at Shopping El Dorado in Pinheiros. Call (11) 2197-6060 for more details.
Deck the halls. Didn’t pack Christmas ornaments from the States?
No problem. Head down to Rua 25 de Março and you’ll find all the decorations you need.
