Brick by brick, christmas was coming together in Santa Cruz. The old favourites were there, like the red and white blooms of the flor de pascua, but a more modern influence was supplied by film epic Star Wars.

The Espacio Cultural exhibition hall of the Caja Canarias bank was filled with a Lego landscape bringing two epic stories together, light years away from the usual rural scenes with a distinct historical taste of Tenerife. It´s free to visit with opening times Monday to Friday 5 to 8 pm, Sat and Sunday 11 am to 2 pm, and 5 pm to 8 pm. Times differ on the big festive dates. From 23 December to 5 January it´s 11am to 4 pm and on 24 & 5 December, and 31 December to 5 January from 11 am to 4 pm. On December 25 and 1 January it is closed – well even Lego figures need some down time.

Santa Cruz also has its smaller but more traditional Belen in the Cabildo building between the port and the lake. It´s always a work of art with plenty of little details to look out for, woven into a historic fabric. It´s also free and open  between 9 to 3 am and 4pm to 9.30pm most days. On 24 December it´s 9 am to 5 pm, on 25 th it´s  4 pm to 9.30 pm, on 31 December it´s 9 am to 5 pm, and on 1 st to 6 January it´s 4 pm to 9.30 pm.

Down at the port, the giant stage was taking shape for the anual classical concert onChristmas Day, late in the evening. This year the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra and friends will pay homage to great modern composers like John Williams, another Star Wars link. The 8,000 tickets are on sale at 3 euros each. Taking advantage of the performing platform, a solidarity concert will take place on Friday 15 December to raise money for a reforestation project in Tenerife. Tickets are 18 euros.

There will be lots more distractions in the streets across Tenerife as the festive season unfolds. I will add a few more of the unusual ones on here soon.