Colima, Mexico - Santa's journey to western Mexico must have been a little smoky. On the Friday evening and Saturday morning before Christmas, the Colima or "Fire" Volcano had a pair of eruptions.

According to the Civil Defense Office of the State of Jalisco, they each spewed large columns of gas and ash more than 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) into the air, covering an area of more than a mile.

The first occurred at 6:00 pm local time (0000 GMT) on Friday, the second at 8:00 am local time (1400 GMT) on Saturday.

Called the "Volcano of Fire," the 12,533-foot volcano is located 430 miles northwest of Mexico City, on the border of Jalisco and Colima states. It is one of the most active and potentially destructive volcanoes in all of Mexico.

Since 1585, it has erupted more than 30 times. The most significant episode was recorded in 1913 which lasted four days.