by Martina from Montevideo asks Santa about Christmas lights, learns about the Río de la Plata, and hears why Uruguay officially calls the holiday Día de la Familia
Dear Santa, my name is Martina and I am nine years old. I live in Montevideo, Uruguay, where my abuelo says our beaches get more crowded on Christmas Day than almost any other day of the whole year.
Dear Martina, I have seen those crowded beaches from the sleigh myself, and your abuelo is entirely right about the timing.
Santa, I have three questions.
My first question is, can I get Christmas lights installed near me? Our street association is voting on a big group display this year and I am very excited about it.
A group display sounds wonderful, Martina, and I always enjoy seeing a whole street work together on something festive. Group projects like that tend to bring neighbors closer, lights or no lights.
My second question is about our river. My teacher says the water near our city is actually where a huge river meets the ocean, not the ocean itself. Is that true?
It is, Martina. The Río de la Plata is an enormous estuary where the Paraná and Uruguay Rivers meet the Atlantic Ocean, so wide it can be hard to tell where the river ends and the sea begins. Flying over it each Christmas Eve is a genuinely impressive sight.
My third question is, why does my teacher call this holiday Día de la Familia, Family Day, instead of Christmas on the official school calendar?
That is a distinctive piece of Uruguayan history, Martina. Because Uruguay’s constitution establishes a strict separation between religion and government, many official holidays, including Christmas, were given secular names, so December 25th is formally known as Día de la Familia on the national calendar, even though most families still celebrate it warmly as Christmas at home. I think it is a thoughtful example of a country making room for everyone’s beliefs.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Martina Fernández
Montevideo, Uruguay
P.S. Do you call it Family Day too, when you visit?
Whatever name suits the household, Martina. The spirit stays exactly the same either way.
