The smell of Christmas is already in the air in Panama, awakening memories whether you like it or not. This morning, 32 containers loaded with natural Christmas trees—the first of the season—arrived in the country and are ready to start filling living rooms, hallways, and balconies with that pine scent that signals the year is almost over. Of these containers, 25 came from Canada and 7 from Oregon, USA, totaling approximately 17,000 natural pines that will soon be rolling through the streets on their way to sales points. Those who love their natural Christmas trees can now start bringing down their boxes of ornaments, as the Christmas season has officially begun. But behind this beautiful tradition lies a serious job that almost no one sees. MIDA, through its Executive Directorate of Agricultural Quarantine, explained that this shipment did not just simply enter the country. Deputy Director Luis Benavides recounted that even a team of specialists traveled to Oregon to inspect the plantations, packaging centers, and ensure that no strange mosquito was hidden among the branches. In October, a technical mission had already inspected crops and collection centers there, taking samples of firs and pines and certifying the containers from the source. The trees from Oregon go directly to sales centers because they have already passed inspection there, while those from Canada are inspected here at the port. This entire operation—which sounds like a movie plot but is real—has only one goal: for the trees that arrive at your home to be fresh, healthy, and pest-free, ready for you, your family, and even the cat to pose for a photo in front of them. Christmas has arrived, and with these first steps, Panama is officially in December mode.
