December is a noisy month in Oaxaca. The cohetes (all bang, no bling rockets) began shattering the sound of silence yesterday and, except possibly during the middle of the night (I fell asleep to the bangs and booms) have continued unabated today. Why? you might ask. December 8 is the day Oaxaca celebrates her very own Virgen de Juquila. Next up, on December 12, along with the rest of Mexico, there will be festivities honoring the Virgen de Guadalupe, and finally on December 18 the Reina y Patrona de Oaxaca (Queen and Patroness of Oaxaca), la Virgen de la Soledad (Virgin of Solitude) will have her day.
In the meantime, under clear blue skies and temperatures in the 80s (Fahrenheit), the city sparkles with Christmas decorations.
Today’s breaking news: According to the Director of Culture and Tourism, on December 23 the annual, and extremely popular, Noche de Rabanos (Night of Radishes) will be held in person, but with reduced participation and a change of venue — the Plaza de la Danza.
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View From Casita Colibrí 
You got home just in time!
Just in time???
Wowsers! The Andador Turistico decorations certainly have gotten fancier than our past holiday stay, and so happy to know the radishes are returning.
The decorations on the Alcalá are in front of and courtesy of Mayordomo Restaurante. As for the return of Rabanos, the tourist industry put a lot of pressure on the government. Many others, including yours truly, are hoping it, and other events, don’t bring a Covid surge. The unmasked visitors continue to be extremely troubling.