Bells are ringing and carolers are singing as I walk through my front door. As I open the door, the smell of a mixture of pine and a boiling pot of menudo tickle my nose. It’s no other than a typical Christmas in a Mexican home. A full house of family was not out of the ordinary at this time of the year. From aunts and uncles to cousins and grandparents I hadn’t seen since last Christmas had taken over my home. The smell of tamales made my tummy roar.
Making food on Christmas was like an Olympic event. My aunts would always compete to see who made the best side dishes. The kitchen was full of menudo, tamales, turkey and other delicious food. We always made sure not to eat a lot and save some room for dessert. Every year my aunts and grandmother would bring a different dessert for us. We had brownies, pies bonuellos and different kinds of fresh cookies that would just melt in your mouth.
My grandma would have two big wooden tables, one for the kids and one for the grown-ups. Us kids always wanted to over hear the adults’s tories. Seeing my house like this was always somewhat of a shock to me because my family was never the type to be unified but as soon as Christmas came along it was different. I often found myself sitting in the living room as my father and uncles saw the football game or whichever sport happened to be on the tube.
I never really was into the sport thing but I would cheer along and pretend to get upset every time the opposing team scored. Although some cursing took place, it was all in good spirit and no harm was done. Watching the glee and smiles on everyone’s face put a grin on my very own face because you can’t help but to smile when everyone around you is so full of joy. Every Christmas day always seemed to be the perfect day. Although it was wet and cold outside, being with my family kept my heart warm.
The Essay on Christmas With My Family Traditions
Christmas with My Family Traditions enhance our lives and make up the person we are. Even though every family has their own traditions and rituals they all come together to unite as a family during the holidays. Every family has their own traditions that are based on their beliefs. It is my family’s tradition to gather around the Christmas tree and celebrate the birth of Christ. My family’s ...
But then comes the best part. As soon as everything is set, the time to open presents finally comes. The Christmas tree couldn’t look any greater and beautiful. The green tree covered in red and green ribbon made the room light up with its powerful Christmas lights. The lights seemed to have a chasing effect that was mesmerizing. But who could forget the golden balls that hung all over the tree.
I helped my mother set the tree the week before and we had taken our time to make sure it looked perfect. Under the tree were the gifts. I had an eye on the corner present that had my name on it. It was a huge red and blue gift-wrapped box that held the gift that I had earlier shook and inspected. I often did that a lot because I found it fun to try and guess what it was before hand.
After a long afternoon of testing out all of our great gifts we had to come back in the house and help clean up all the gift wrapping up and wash the dirty dishes from the mouth watering feast we ate earlier. Then came the time where I had to say goodbye to my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents that had come over. I will miss them but I know that I will see them in no more than a year and prepare myself for another great Christmas.
