CARACAS, Venezuela — (AP) — It doesn’t feel like Christmas in Venezuela. At least not yet. Even if the president wants it to be.
Residents of Caracas, the capital, woke up Tuesday to a towering Christmas tree standing in a popular public square, weeks after President Nicolás Maduro declared the jolly season would start earlier this year in the South American country.
Workers rushed to set up decorations in various neighborhoods, but the mood was far from festive.
“I think it’s terrible because it’s October,” said Desiré Aguiar, 32, before setting up her jewelry and accessories booth in a local market. “Halloween hasn’t even passed, and it’s already Christmas? Are we celebrating them together?”
Venezuelans, particularly those who remember life at the turn of the century, have long associated Christmas with careless shopping and bulging wallets thanks to profit-sharing and holiday bonuses employers paid at the end of the year. Employees often received three times their monthly salary all at once. The smell of …