Spending several wonderful Christmases in Vallarta prior to moving here in ’91, what made the biggest impression on me during those visits were the neighborhood street parties in the evenings leading up the December 25, where everyone – passers-by as well as residents, Mexicans, expats and tourists – comes together to dance, drink, sing and socialize well into the wee hours. For a tourist like I was, the warm inclusion in this upbeat community at this sentimental time of year kept me returning again and again.

Now the season starts for me on December 1, the first day of the colorful and reverent 12-day processions in honor of the town’s patron saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe. Some, however, string their lights and decorate their trees well before Halloween! I have to wonder how their needles survive until the big day, especially in a tropical climate.

While I admit to being more than occasionally irritated by street noise in my humble neighborhood, the good will shared at community events like our recent block party or posada – in commemoration of Mary and Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem – reminds me yet again why I call this home.

Speaking of living large in the streets, it seems I wasn’t the only one half expecting to see hordes of people shopping and dining in snazzy golf ensembles during the EMC World Cup, which wrapped December 15. Naïve? Of course! But I, like dozens of business owners I’ve talked to, wondered what happened to the thousands of visitors we had expected to converge on Vallarta during this world-class event.

Those of us not participating in the tournament, or hanging out at the hotels players and their entourages were billeted in or the restaurants where they ate should be forgiven for having the impression that the event was less than wildly successful. Organizer Steve Wilson, however, sheds a different light on things:

“We didn’t keep numbers, but we had a great crowd and everyone really enjoyed themselves. The stands were full on Saturday and Sunday and hundreds of school children stood in the streets waving as the players traveled back and forth to the course in 160 buses – the transportation going smoothly and without a hitch. And 115 kids got to take a golf clinic during the event and they were pretty excited about it.”

Wilson says that players and fans dined at Tinos, Trio, La Palapa and Barcelona, among other popular spots, and they stayed primarily in Marina Vallarta hotels. So, now you know.

The competing players from Singapore talk about their Vallarta experience on the PGA Tour website, saying they were “treated like VIP’s every day,” and got so much attention from fans they now “know what Tiger Woods must feel like.”

On the topic of being popular, unfortunately we’re losing one of the coolest guys in town – Aussie photographer and writer Mark Callanan, all raound bon vivant and talented professional. After earning tremendous respect for his work over the past half-dozen years, his roots beckon him back Down Under. But his last order of business here has been to leave a legacy for all who love Vallarta in the newly released “Vallarta Volume One, Luz y Color” (Light and Color), a compilation of evocative images revealing the area’s many faces, published by Producciones Viva of “Lifestyles” and “Vallarta Voice” fame.

Finally a fitting tribute has been to this astoundingly beautiful town!

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions about what you’re reading, you’re encouraged to let me know at heather@mexmags.com.