Celebrating Barbie!

One of the ways I learned to speak Spanish with ease is by watching telenovelas on Univision back in California. (Ironically I can't get Spanish language channels on the cable system Larry installed here....it's Canadian!) Telenovelas are Spanish language soap operas, and the women on them are hot -- and the heroine is often blonde. That may explain why Barbie is so popular down here.

It's hard to import new ones, but used ones get by customs just fine. So one of the Christmas traditions on our street, I found out, is decorating the Barbie dolls which snow bird women collect at garage sales in the States. Passing out the refurbished, newly-coiffed Barbies in their spiffy new outfits to the local little girls is a big part of the Christmas Eve party (which I'll miss) in the plaza each year. I never had a Barbie, but better late than never, I guess. I really got into this!