• About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
FREE REPORT
BEST PLACES TO RETIRE
*No spam: We will NEVER give your email address to anyone else.
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
Live and Invest Overseas
  • HOME
  • COUNTRIES
    • Top Destinations
      • Portugal
      • Panama
      • Belize
      • France
      • Colombia
      • Dominican Republic
      • Thailand
      • Mexico
      • Spain
      • Argentina
    • Browse All Countries
    • Best For
      • Retire Overseas Index
      • Health Care
      • Cost of Living
      • Investing in Real Estate
      • Editor’s Picks For Retirement
      • Establishing Residency
      • Starting an Online Business
      • Single Women
      • Playing Golf
  • BUDGETS
    • Super Cheap ($)
      • Cuenca, Ecuador
      • Chiang Mai, Thailand
      • The Philippines
      • Las Tablas, Panama
      • Granada, Nicaragua
    • Cheap ($$)
      • Algarve, Portugal
      • Medellin, Colombia
      • Boquete, Panama
      • Carcassone, France
      • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Affordable ($$$)
      • Abruzzo, Italy
      • Barcelona, Spain
      • Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic
      • Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
      • Costa de Oro, Uruguay
    • Luxury On A Budget ($$$$)
      • Ambergris Caye, Belize
      • Paris, France
      • Panama City Beach Area
  • Real Estate
  • ARCHIVES
    • Living & Retiring Overseas
    • Raising A Family Abroad
    • Foreign Residency & Citizenship
    • Offshore Diversification
    • Our Latest On Coronavirus ⚠️
  • Making Money
    • International Real Estate
    • Banking
    • Employment
    • Investing
  • CONFERENCES
  • BOOKSTORE
No Result
View All Result
Live and Invest Overseas
No Result
View All Result
Home In Focus: Belize

Sharing The Joy Of A Tropical Christmas In Belize

Gifts Of Joy In Belize

Marie Peay by Marie Peay
Dec 19, 2018
in In Focus: Belize
0
summer beach christmas
247
SHARES
3.1k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

In Corozal, Belize, we stroll around the town’s Central Park on a Saturday evening in early December, awaiting the lighting of the Christmas tree. During this annual event, some wear Santa hats, vendors have lots of treats to taste, and camaraderie abounds. Stores even help shoppers enjoy spending their money by playing favorite holiday tunes… and songs are sung… like the favorite “Walking in a Winter Wonderland”…

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?
In the lane snow is glistening…

…He sings a love song as we go along
walking in a winter wonderland…

Not in sunny Belize!

Those of us who ran away from snow-prone regions have smiles on our faces as we join in to sing.

I know people who love seeing snow fall and get a kick out of shoveling it up. Others find bliss coasting down a snow-covered mountain on a pair of skis while humming “Jingle Bells.”

As for me, from my front porch, I like watching the landscape guy gathering up the fallen, ripened branches of palm trees that dot my view of Corozal Bay.

The Christmas holiday season is here, and what a great time to celebrate… a magical and wonderful feeling permeates the air. Folks seem friendlier and smiles are everywhere.

People show their generosity by giving presents. These and other experiences fill our hearts with joy—an uplifting feeling like none other.

Just as gifts vary in shape and size, finding joy takes different forms.

Some find joy visiting family and friends during this special season, traveling by car, plane, train, bus, or whatever, as well as risk all types of weather conditions, just to enjoy their loved ones’ company. Here, expats and locals alike hop on one of Belize’s domestic airlines to get from one plush area to another… for the sake of sharing blissful moments with people they care for.

It’s quite a unique experience to run your toes through the sandy shorelines of Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, or any other islands in Belize, especially on a warm, bright sunny day in a so-called “winter month.” To avoid the cold, people from all over the world fly in or drive to Belize to have tropical adventures in this English-speaking Central American country. Some come for the snorkeling, scuba diving, or zip-lining; others to relax in a hammock… whatever brings new feelings of joy.

This feeling of exuberance is everywhere, encouraging all kinds of creativity. Schoolchildren in Corozal made a Christmas tree out of glass Sprite bottles. Books made up a snowman at the Corozal library. Just about every business seems to outdo one another’s Christmas decorations.

The Town Council building across from the Central Park plays holiday music over loudspeakers. Many of us sing along as we go about our day. At a certain point, groups of people will walk through town singing carols and holding candles. The first time I saw it, I was filled with unspeakable joy… words couldn’t adequately describe the scene. What a beautiful gift it was.

In this day and age of social media, millions experience joy by interacting via email, Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook, Skype, etc. I remember when using a camera to take someone’s picture meant taking the film to a store to develop and processing it, enduring a waiting period of several days. What a gift to see the finished product… a roll of film that had captured special moments worth remembering. How times have changed—for the better—in this arena…

When a family member from the States called me recently to tell me that she and a much younger relative had put up and decorated their Christmas tree, my first response was to ask her to send me a picture. Within seconds I was looking at it. They decorated the tree delightfully and it looked beautiful. Because I had just finished decorating my own tabletop tree with flashing lights, I took a video of it from my cell phone while singing a few bars of a popular Christmas tune. I then sent it Stateside, and my family met my tree with jubilant shouts.

I knew that retiring to Belize would sometimes include bouts of homesickness. I also knew that I wouldn’t be able to jet to the States every time I wanted to be near loved ones. But, fortunately, the low cost of living here has allowed me to stretch my dollars to make annual visits and get some real hugs.

When I can’t make the trip, I interact with young family members via a cell, tablet, or laptop screen. This helps them to remember who I am and I get to watch them grow. Hugging my laptop during a FaceTime chat will suffice until my next visit.

My video gift from Belize brought a lot of joy to my loved ones far away. The gift of living in Belize continues to bring constant joy to me.

And I don’t have to go far to get it. I just keep finding it in Belize.

Come and find your gifts of joy in Belize.

Happy Holidays!

Mary Peay

Tags: 'Belize''Christmas'
Share117Tweet54
Previous Post

I’m Spending Christmas In France And NYE In Panama

Next Post

A Slovakian Christmas And Other Celebrations In Waterford

Marie Peay

Marie Peay

As I continue on my life’s journey, I am always grateful for the wonderful opportunities that come my way. It was one such opportunity that led to my decision to get out of my comfort zone and try living in another country. It certainly worked well when I moved from the United States to Belize—and at my age… I asked myself, “Why not?” and “Why wait?” So, in 2017, even without being fluent in Spanish, I relocated from Belize to Mexico and what a great move this has been. What can I say? “Viva México and long live the world!”

Related Posts

Louise, Carmelita Gardens’ architectural designer
Belize

Moving To Carmelita Gardens After One Phone Call

by Louise Cooper
May 18, 2022
0

A year ago, asking if I wanted to join the Carmelita Gardens team as the architectural designer… What started as...

Read more
A beautiful tree with white flowers with a house with solar panels in Carmelita Gardens, Belize

Carmelita Gardens In Cayo: Finding The Hippie Paradise

May 9, 2022
A pink truck in Belize

Buying Your Vehicle in Belize vs. Shipping Your Car To Belize

May 4, 2022
Beautiful Caribbean sight with turquoise water in Caye Caulker, Belize.

The Simple Joys That Drew Me To Move To Belize

April 20, 2022
Beautiful Caribbean sight with turquoise water in Caye Caulker, Belize.

19 Ways To Earn Some Extra Income In Belize

April 6, 2022
Palm tree and thatched roof hut on beach in Placencia, Belize

A New Life In Placencia Like You’d Never Imagine

March 9, 2022
Sunrise at Caye Caulker Island in Belize

Starting A Business In Belize From A To Z

February 9, 2022
Next Post
winterval road train

A Slovakian Christmas And Other Celebrations In Waterford

A world full of fun, adventure, and profit awaits! Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we'll send you a FREE report on the 10 Best Places To Retire In Style Overseas Today.

Start Your New Life Today, Overseas

LIOS Resources


  • New To LIOS
  • Ask An Expert
  • Media Center
  • Contact Us
  • FAQs

Quick Links


  • Best Places To Live
  • Best Places To Retire
  • Finding A Job Overseas
  • Real Estate

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and get your FREE report: The 10 Best Places To Retire Overseas In 2022

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Unsubscribe

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Countries
  • Budgets
  • Archives
  • News
  • Events
  • Bookstore
  • Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Members Area
  • Contact Us

© 2008-2021 - Live and Invest Overseas - All Rights Reserved.

The World’s Best Places To Be In 2022?

Discover Them Here…

WANT TO RETIRE OVERSEAS?

Sign up for our free daily e-letter, Overseas Opportunity Letter, and we’ll immediately send you a free report on the 10 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE in style overseas. Each day you’ll learn about the best opportunities for international living, retiring overseas, offshore diversification and asset protection, and investing in real estate around the world.