Christmas is the time of year where families of all shapes and sizes get together and share memories with each other. However, in a Latino household, it’s a whole other dimension. You wake up early in the morning to your multitasking Latina mom cooking and cleaning all at once with the “Navidades Luis Miguel” album blaring in the back. Worried about your dad? Oh not a problem, he’s surely just stocking up on beers for him and your uncles. Two hours pass by and your mom walks into your horrendously messy room and screams, “limpia tú cuarto porque tu familia viene!” (Clean your room because your family is coming!) Wow, how fun. This means that a lot is about to happen.
All of this takes place on Dec. 24, the typical “Christmas Day” for us Latinos because of our religious beliefs. Another name for this special day is “Nochebuena.” (Good night) It’s considered to be a good night because it is the celebration of Jesus’ life. Instead of celebrating Christmas on the official day, we relax, watch Christmas movies and eat leftover food. In addition, this is what to expect at an ordinary Latino Christmas party.
Tanto chisme (So much gossiping): When it comes to any function, a lot of chisme goes down. I see my aunt, mom and older cousins gathered around the table talking about me, my siblings and their kids. What’s ironic to me is that my mom thinks I don’t understand what she’s saying, but little does she know, I do. But after all of their talking, they start asking me questions like, “tienes novio?” (Do you have a boyfriend?) At this point, let me put on heavy clown makeup and big shoes real quick, muchas gracias.
Food: Or should I just say, would you like to gain an extra five pounds? There is a whole all-you-can-eat buffet consisting of many types of foods. As a Salvadoran, there is so much food with dishes including pollo relleno, pupusas, tamales, atole de elote and panes con pollo. After eating all of this food, you obviously have to make room for dessert. Eating pan dulce con café (pastries with coffee) to top it all off is phenomenal.
Your tío borracho (Drunk uncle): What’s more fun than overhearing your mom gossip and eating way too much food is seeing your uncle going above and beyond on the drinking. It’s even better when he offers to dance with me. I may not be a pro at dancing and neither is he, for obvious reasons. Besides the fact, he gets loud as well. He starts laughing and shouting the lyrics of the songs being played. All I want for Christmas is for Santa and his reindeers to take his loud self to the North Pole.
The party isn’t stopping: You better add sleep to your Christmas list because you’re not getting any at all. Let’s just say the party lasts from 2 p.m. to 6 a.m., so I suggest filling up on pan dulce con café to stay energized. Expect to see your sticky-iPad-kid younger brother and cousins sleeping on the couch, two folded plastic chairs or even worse, your bed. But hey, at least it’s quiet now.
While Dec. 24 is one of the most important days for us Latinos, it is also the time to get festive for the season. Although this day may seem complicated, it remains one of the most memorable days of the year. From gossiping to sleep deprivation, you can always make a fun time out of a dysfunctional Latino Christmas party.
