Whether you’re new to living in Merida, Yucatan or are visiting Merida for Christmas, chances are you’re wondering about celebrating Christmas in Merida and, more widely, in Mexico. You probably want to know what it’s like, whether Mérida is worth visiting at Christmas whether it’ll be like Christmas at home and how you create your own new Mexican Christmas traditions.

After many years of celebrating Christmas in Mérida, Mexico I feel I’m well placed and able to answer these festive questions for you.

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Is it a good idea to travel to Mérida for Christmas?

Yes, I mean, it’s always a good idea to travel to Mérida but here are five excellent reasons to celebrate Christmas in Mérida:

🎄 Mexicans love a good party

🎄 Mexicans are very welcoming to visitors

🎄 The weather in Merida (and the whole of Yucatán) is utterly perfect over winter: dry and warm

🎄 Tourist sites and restaurants only close on the 25th December so you’ll be able to get plenty of adventuring done

🎄You will go home with a tan and make all your friends super jealous

➡️ Let’s talk safety in Yucatán for a second. Yucatán is Mexico’s safest state, making it a perfect spot for a vacation. If you’re interested in reading more about whether Yucatan is safe and how to look after yourself while in Yucatan, you know I’ve got you covered!

⭐️ If you’re considering moving to Mexico with kids you’ll definitely need to consider how Christmas is going to look.

Top Mérida Christmas hotel picks

Feliz Navidad

🎅🏽 Yes, that’s how officially how to wish someone a ‘Happy Christmas’ in Spanish but you may well hear people saying ‘Felicidades‘ too.

Celebrating Christmas in Merida: let’s talk dates

Lots of countries do things differently so it’s important to know what happens when and who celebrates what (and whom) when.

Which dates matter when celebrating Christmas in Mérida and in the rest of Mexico?

🗓 December 12th First day of Christmas (Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe)

🗓 December 16th First day of the Posadas and the setting up of the Naciementos

🗓 December 24th Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)

🗓 December 25th Christmas Day

🗓 December 28th Día de Los Santos Inocentes (the Mexican equivalent of April Fools’ day)

🗓 January 6th Día de Los Reyes (Kings’ Day)

🗓 February 2nd La Candelaria (Candlemas)

Celebrating Christmas in Mérida: the traditions

The Posadas

🕯 There are nine posadas between 16th – 24th December. Posada is Spanish for ‘inn’ or ‘lodging’. These nine nights are meant to represent Mary and Joseph looking for somewhere to stay in Bethlehem but being turned away. Houses will often be decorated. Kids are given candles and sent around to sing at the houses of friends and family. To begin with, they’re told there is no room and then eventually they’re let in and everyone has a party.

While ‘posada’ does specifically refer to this part of the Mexican Christmas celebration, don’t assume that an invitation to a ‘posada’ means this is what is happening as it’s just as likely, these days to mean a big old Christmas party. There’s likely, however, to always be a piñata, alcohol and plenty of food.

Pilgrimage de la Virgen de Guadalupe

⭐️ Between 1st – 12th December, you’ll see people taking part in the pilgrimage for the Virgen de Guadalupe. On the 12th, el día de la virgen, people parade in the street and sing songs to her.

If  you’re drinking and partying then you’ll need a good breakfast to set you up for the day or help manage your hangover!

Nacimientos (Nativity scene)

🐘 If you’re wondering where and when you’ll see a nativity scene, let me help: Nativity scenes will generally be set up on the 16th December. On 24th December, the figure of Jesus will be ceremonially added and then on Jan 5th, the Kings will complete the set. Traditionally, most families will also have their own nativity set up at home.

It’s fun to wander the streets and see what type of nativity scenes people have set up in their gardens. In Mérida’s Plaza Grande there is always a large nativity scene that includes all sorts of animals, including an elephant.

Pastorelas

These are a kind of nativity play. Generally, they’re dark comedy and the people on their way to meet the baby Jesus are beset with incidents when the devil sends temptations to steer them off course.

Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)

🌺 This tends to be a day for immediate family. A big meal is eaten all together late in the evening, often just before midnight so that Midnight Mass can be attended if that’s how the family rolls. In Spanish, this is ‘Misa de Gallo’ or Mass of the Rooster because it starts so late it’s basically the next morning. If you’re interested in attending church services, it’s well worth just nipping into the church near you and asking what’s going on. It’s highly unlikely (I’m told) that anyone would turn you away.

There will be a piñata for the kids, plenty of alcohol and presents. Often, in Mexican families only the kids get presents, the adults will do a ‘Secret Santa’ type of event rather than spend money they don’t have on things no one needs or wants. Sounds sensible (and quite like what we do in my family too).

If there are teens in the family, they’ll often head out after the late meal to hang out with their friends in town.

Christmas Day

Christmas day in Mexico can be much quieter than Noche Buena, and quiet family time. Generally families eat recalentado, or reheated leftovers, from the night before. Because the main Christmas meal is is eaten so late on the 24th it has become traditional to eat leftovers on the 25th, again with more alcohol.

🕚 You may, on 24th and 25th December find restaurants and shops open. I know for a fact that supermarkets are open on 25th because my husband’s over-enthusiastic Santa piñata beating resulted in him having to take our then four-year-old son to Chedraui to replace a much-coveted Iron Man toy that was smashed.

Dia de Los Reyes (Kings’ Day)

This is important. Christmas is absolutely not over until Kings’ Day on the 6th January (and as noted above, not technically until 02/02). Families gather to cut the Rosca De Reyes (a traditional round cake). Traditionally a tiny baby Jesus is hidden in the cake. Everyone eats their slice of cake and the person who winds up with baby Jesus in their mouth is said to be his ‘ godparent’ for the year. My son had Jesus in his mouth one year (I’m sorry, I have no idea how else to write this) and was told it was his job to bring tamales to the upcoming Candlemas festivities.

🎁 For some families, gift-giving happens on 25th December and for others, the 6th January.

What’s a traditional Christmas meal in Mexico?

🦃 I’m from the UK and we have Christmas rules. We generally all eat turkey for our main meal. No exceptions (unless you’re vegetarian or vegan, in which case you might get a nutloaf or a piece of cheese depending on how enlightened the chef is feeling).

So what about Mexico?

🎄 Handily, turkey is a popular Christmas meal in Mérida, too.

🎄 If you’re cooking for yourself over Christmas you’ll find turkeys and big hams in the supermarkets.

🎄 You’ll also find sandwicón, which is a local delicacy. It’s a long ham and cheese sandwich covered in a mayonnaise and chipotle dressing made to look like cake. I haven’t tried it but I’m sure it makes a delicious dinner.

Top Tip: Restaurants and hotels will start taking bookings for tables and take-away for Christmas lunch in mid November. Every single year I have had Christmas lunch in Mérida is has been ordered from the Fiesta Americana Hotel and I give it a full ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

🎄 Ponche is a popular drink at Christmas time. It’s essentially a hot fruit punch and it may, or may not contain alcohol. I recommend asking before you drink too much!

🎄 Some families eat tamales at Christmas.

🎄 Pozole, a super traditional Mexican soup, is another popular Christmas food.

🎄Buñuelos (doughballs) are seen at Christmas time, too. They taste like doughnuts.

Where to see Christmas decorations in Mérida

Merida itself is beautifully decorated by the Ayuntamiento and everyone will enjoy walking around at night to see the city lit up.

⭐️ Plaza Grande (the main square) has a life-size nativity scene complete with elephants. Yes, elephants.

⭐️ Other plazas will also be decorated so it’s worth taking a wander around town and seeing what’s what.

⭐️ Paseo de Montejo is always beautifully decorated.

⭐️ There is a huge tree at the Remate de Paseo de Montejo.

⭐️ Shopping Malls – the malls go all out and decorate beautifully. If you like malls, then they’re fun to see. Why not go ice skating in Galerias while you’re out and about? Each mall will probably have its own light event but these will vary in time so check Facebook pages for the individual malls. The main malls are: Galerias, Altabrisa, Gran Plaza, The Harbor and La Isla.

⭐️ You can take kids to visit Santa in the malls in the run-up to Christmas. Check Facebook pages for details.

⭐️ The Coca-Cola Christmas fair at Chedruai by the Gran Museo del Mundo Maya is considered one of the main Christmas events in Mérida. On 1st December everyone gathers here to watch the Christmas lights be turned on as the Christmas fair opens.

⭐️ Enjoy walking around town and seeing individual family homes as people put up their lights, decorations and nativity scenes.

Decorating your own home for Christmas in Mérida

I should start this section with a warning: people buy their decorations and trees early so if you want a good selection, join the crowds and shop in November. Sorry.

🎄 Christmas trees are pretty popular in Mérida. You can buy real trees from most supermarkets (oh that smell!) and fake ones from most large stores. We bought a fabulous wrought iron tree from a street market that lasted us for years.

🎄 Decorations and lights are available everywhere too. Be sure to always compare prices. We find that the markets were selling lights at incredibly inflated prices compared to the supermarkets but I do love the way it looks when you see the Christmas light stalls along the side of Technologico all lit up in the wintry dark.

🎄 Fireworks are very much a part of the Mexican celebratory style. I think this is less true in the Yucatan than in other parts of the country (in my personal experience) but they’re still popular here. You’ll hear them going off in the lead up to Christmas and then a lot more in the evening of 24th.

🎄 Stockings seem to be a decoration here rather than for putting presents in. Nothing to stop you though. Obviously.

🎄 Advent Calendars aren’t really a thing here. We get ours ‘delivered’ by visiting family in the months leading up to Christmas but Amazon works just as well as my family for delivering these in time.

🎄 Gingerbread Houses: Costco usually stocks these, along with all sorts of other edible deliciousness you’ll simply need at Christmas!

🎄 Piñatas. The traditional Christmas piñata is the pointed star you’ll start seeing sold from October onwards. It’s meant to represent the seven deadly sins, I believe. Personally, I prefer to have a smiley or fun piñata than one that is meant to remind me not to covet someone else’s sandwichón but that’s just me. We also buy our kids tiny piñatas instead of stockings. They wake up to a teeny little one by their beds, which they love.

You can buy piñatas all over the place but the main piñata road is calle 65 x56y54 (i.e the bit of Calle 65 leading from Parque Eulogio Rosado by Lucas De Galvez market). While they’re available everywhere, I do recommend heading down here to experience the hustle and bustle of a friendly Mexican market area.

Santa Claus – yay or nay?

He’s not as popular as he is in the rest of North America or the UK but he does ‘exist’. One Mexican friend told me that he’s a bit of a new import and kids don’t tend to believe in him as they do elsewhere. If you want your kids to visit Santa, that’s perfectly possible in the malls, as noted above.

Where to buy Christmas presents in Mérida?

🎁 Well, obviously, there are plenty of amazing artisan shops in town but if you’re looking specifically for toy shops then Juguetron is the main toy store in town. It has various locations including in all the malls.

🎁 In addition, all supermarkets have a good stock of toys (often cheaper than the toy stores) and in the run-up to Christmas, they open up extra toy warehouse areas.

🎁 In the Wal-Mart at the top of Paseo de Montejo, there is an additional toy shop in the car park under the supermarket.

🎁 Chedraui Norte has a large toy warehouse in the car park (open from October).

🎁 Miniso is a store that’s full of fun gifts – there’s one in Centro and each mall has a branch.

🎁 Galerias El Triunfo (the main store is on Paseo de Montejo by Calle 39) has a collection of incredibly random decorations and gifts. In fact, at any time of the year, it’s a fascinating place to wander through. If you’re looking for sustainable and thoughtful gifts, there are plenty of options in town too.

🎁 Look out for artisanal markets in town too. Often there’s one on Santa Ana, which is a good place to pick up regional Mexican gifts and the Zero Waste Market, which is another great option for ethical gifts.

🎁 If you’re looking for stocking filler type stuff then there are a number of cheap shops around the market (calles 56 and 58) that have little toys and whatnot.

If you’re looking for Mexican themed gifts or gifts for your Mexico obsessed friends and family, then you could do worse than check out my latest gift guide.

Please remember

It goes without saying that we should remember others at this time of year.

🎁 If you have Mexicans working for you, pay them something extra.

🎁 Don’t forget that the aguinaldo is not a Christmas bonus, it’s a requirement of hiring people to work to you that you pay an extra salary at Christmas time.

🎁 Tip the guys in the supermarket a little more for packing your bags – they work purely for tips.

🎁 Find a way to volunteer or donate time or gifts. One way of finding out what the local needs are around Christmas time is to follow Yucatan Outreach on facebook as they will put out calls for assistance as they need. From donating gifts to children’s homes to putting together food packages for older people, there’s always something we can do.

And so, without further ado: Felicidades and have a great Christmas.

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