Hanging Santas

[And not a minute too soon, my thoughts exactly:]

I discovered that Portugal has the finest collection of hanging Santas in the world. It is always interesting to see how other nations celebrate holidays and how they decorate their homes. If only one could make psychological profiles based on people's Christmas decorations!

After a few days in Portugal, I have noticed that there is only one Christmas decoration here: the hanging Santa. Unlike in the Czech Republic, they seem to really like Santa here. I just took this photo today in the picturesque town of Alte, about 20 miles northwest of Faro.

Santa hangs from everywhere in Portugal - window sills, restaurant signs, rooftops...There must be some sort of association that manufactures the demand for hanging Santas, otherwise I have no idea why the Portuguese--arguably, people with very good taste--would want to decorate the beautiful facades of their homes with them.

NOTES FROM PORTUGAL, in Gadling

Tiles from the dark side
Cat Steals Chouriço, Escapes
Jumbo Shopping Mess
Hertz Hurts
West Coast of Europe, Dude!