Mmm, smells like panetones!

For me, the smell of Christmas was always a combination of pine needles, nutmeg and soggy snow boots. But here in the bakery, and all around Peru, the smell of panetones is one way to know that the holiday season has arrived.

In the States, the fruit cake is a dreaded Christmas gift, one we might give as a good joke. Here, the fruit cake, or panetón, IS Christmas.

While it's already December 10th,  it's hard for me to feel that the Christmas season is really upon us. There is definitely no snow--it's summer here. So far, the panetones, the panetones commercials and a few felt trees here and there are the only difference I've seen.

A small confession to add: I don't like paneton. Maybe it's the American in me who has heard tale after tale of bad fruit cakes. Or maybe I just prefer to have chocolate or raisins in my bread. Already, I can tell that this is going to become a problem when I have to eat four or five of these darn cakes.