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Tag: Traditions

  • A Wonderful Traditional Christmas with Family and Friends!

    It’s the time of the year when we celebrate Christmas! A holiday that is filled with bright colors, feasts, a Christmas tree, lights, decorations, gifts and more. More importantly, a moment to cherish and spend time with family and friends. A holiday celebrated by many cultures and adapted to their traditional customs. Indeed, a special Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. 

    In previous years, we’ve been invited to my uncle and aunt’s house for Christmas Eve. There would be a huge gathering of families, most of whom are my uncle’s side of the family, including friends and colleagues. It was a great time that brought happiness and memorable moments. We danced, sang, prayed, dined, exchanged gifts and did all sorts of activities. 

    How Are We Celebrating Christmas? 

    We are celebrating Christmas at home this year. Recently, my mom’s baby Jesus arrived from Mexico from my grandmother’s home. In her early teens while in Mexico, she always dreamed of having one of her own because visiting nearby families all had a baby Jesus. Everyone in her community will walk out with their baby Jesus and head to a local church for it to be blessed, in which people will sing and pray together. Children, especially adults are welcomed to their nearby neighbors and families homes to visit their baby Jesus nativity scenes. At their visit, food is prepared for anyone to eat, especially candies are given to children who come by their doors. It’s indeed a marvelous day for both Mexico and religious traditions. 

    Throughout Christmas, we are going to spend it the same, and it will be our first experience. Well, our first experience at our home. We invited a few friends, and family members. My father, brothers and I own acoustic guitars and will be playing while we all are singing, praying, and my younger sister will be gentle rocking baby Jesus, and give him a loving kiss.

    Wishing you all a Precious Happy Holidays!

  • It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

    Although celebrating Thanksgiving with friends was fun, I am looking forward to celebrating Christmas with my family. Many families celebrate Christmas differently and again, because my family comes from Mexico, we tend to focus more on Christmas Eve. This is also due to religious reasons. My mom tends to decorate the house and makes it look like a Christmas workshop. It can be quite overwhelming but still very festive and beautiful. My favorite decoration is always the Christmas tree! She keeps it very traditional. It’s always green and has hints of red, gold, and white. She always makes sure to include any ornaments my brother and I have made.

    On Christmas Eve we tend to stay up past midnight. We start our night off by enacting the birth of Jesus. We carry a porcelain baby Jesus, pray, and lull it to “sleep” before finally placing it on a nativity scene. We then eat and pass around bags filled with holiday treats known to us as “aguinaldos navideños”,  to children and adults if there are any left over. The children usually light up party sparklers at the end of the night too. We usually stay up dancing and talking well into Christmas morning. The children usually make an attempt to stay up past midnight so that they have a chance to open their presents. My family and I have celebrated Christmas this way since I was a child, I wouldn’t change a thing about it but I would suggest adding a new tradition.

    New Traditions?

    I have always wanted my family and I to participate in a secret santa. I have always felt that there was pressure from each adult to get every single family member their own present. This can be costly and stressful during the holiday season. I think secret santa is a great way that everyone can end up with a present without the stress and over spending. After all, the holidays are about spending time with loved ones and creating valuable memories together.

  • Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, and More!

    My family comes from Mexico and Thanksgiving is not a holiday we participate in. However, having been in the United States for many years, certain aspects of the holiday are adapted. We regularly like to have friends and family over for dinner and so we use Thanksgiving as another day to do so. There isn’t a specific dish that anyone prepares but my mom enjoys cooking a big ham that always comes out so decorative and delicious. This Thanksgiving was different for me.

    It has been two years since my parents have moved out of state and because I usually only get Thanksgiving day off, I’m unable to visit my family for the day. I instead find comfort in knowing that I have friends and family nearby who are more than willing  to have me over for this holiday. This year, I went to a friend’s house whose mom dedicated the entire day to preparing all sorts of dishes. They kept it very traditional with turkey, mashed potatoes, salad, Spanish rice, and sweet potatoes.  My favorite had to be the baked sweet potatoes, but I always enjoy sweet potatoes! Since it was warm enough, we had all gone to a nearby park to enjoy a late night walk.

    If I could have spent Thanksgiving at my family’s house I think I would have requested that we make penne alla vodka with shrimp, which happens to be my dads specialty. I would not be able to walk you through how he makes it because he has yet to pass his recipe on to me. Here’s a recipe for someone else’s shrimp penne alla vodka if you’re curious to try it! I would request this dish specifically because it is very nostalgic to me and my dad only makes it on special occasions. Remember to always share your gratitude for your loved ones, even when it isn’t a holiday!