Christmas Time

Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm circle of family and friends.

 Margaret Thatcher quotes 

            Christmas tradition celebrations had become a giant part of the Guerra family. My family always had the loudest, coolest, and most hilarious Christmas party in New Mexico. We’ve been doing this ever since I was like 12 months old. Everyone in the family, from the youngest cousin to the oldest grandmother attended this Christmas party-extravaganza.

            We would arrive my Tia and Grandma`s home at around ten o`clock on Christmas Eve, gifts hidden safely in the back seats, under a big blanket. As we shuffled up to the front gate of their home, and we are blinded by the massive explosion of Christmas lights and ornaments. There was thousands and thousands of little lights of all colors, and their dog, shadow/smiley (for her funny ability to really smile), would come up and attack us with her whining for love and affection, which we gave to her by the tons.

            We would then enter the house, filled with our entire Mexican family, who seemed to have already started to enjoy the festivities and laughed up a storm while doing so. All my Tias and cousins and Uncles would come up and welcome us with hugs and handshakes. We would then find a place to rest (either carpet floor, or small sliver of the couch) our freezing bottoms, and then joined in the festivities ourselves. We would have a blast. And the food, the delicious food would fill everyone up for the next 12 hours, it was that good. Mmmmmmm-hmmm. That was some good food.

            Then around 11 o`clock, my Tia Sandra would tell us (force us), to sing every and all of the Christmas carols in every key (because we just were the worst singers imaginable). This would drag on and on, and then, minutes from Midnight, we would sing our hearts out and when the clock struck midnight, we screamed as if it was New Year`s Day. YYYEEEEEAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

            Then the gift-giving would start. Cousins giving to cousins, Tias giving to Tias, Uncles giving to Uncles, and Friends giving to Friends. This would continue for at least one hour, and then everyone would start to disperse and it was always my family who was stuck helping to pick up all the scraps of wrapping paper and trash. This meaning our family would stay another ½ hour helping clean up, and then we ourselves would say our goodbyes and depart for the night, and to awake in the morning for Christmas at our home.

            …….This all stopped when my Tia Sandra and Grandma Josie died in 2013. When they passed, the rest of the family had been thrown into chaos, but that’s another story altogether. It’s surprising how fast traditions that had been going on for almost 1 ½ decades had disappeared. This has taught me to always hold onto the little things in life, because once you lose them, you will FEEL the loss of happiness and joy. Treasure you’re the laughs and fun, and they will help you when you need them.