One thing that makes the winter holidays feel so special, is the continuation of family traditions. Seasonal songs, events, decorations, foods, and rituals hearken back to childhood and beyond - bringing warm memories to the current day. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve/Day and more all offer opportunities to enjoy old traditions and create new ones. Three local families shared some of their own with Kirkland Lifestyle.
The Barajas Family
Each December while Gemma Barajas was growing up here, her family would travel to Mexico to celebrate the Christmas holidays. Her parents hailed from Cuautla, Jalisco and returned every winter to enjoy traditions like Las Posadas - a celebration that takes place over nine nights from December 16 to December 24, bullfighting, and mariachi Christmas music.
Many families who had grown up in the town immigrated to the Seattle area where they opened Mexican restaurants; and those families formed a loose association that supported local celebrations in Cuautla. They hired mariachi bands, organized fireworks shows, and constructed a bullfighting ring to use around the holidays. Gemma fondly recalls the joy these traditions brought during childhood visits.
Festivities on Christmas Eve included attending midnight mass, then heading to grandma’s house for buñuelos - a fried dough fritter coated in cinnamon and sugar - as a midnight snack. Santa Claus doesn’t generally feature in Mexican Christmas celebrations, more Catholic religious-inspired decorations like Nativity scenes are common in the region. Now that Gemma is an adult and the visits to her parents’ hometown are less frequent, she holds these special memories close to her heart.
The MacDonald Family
By Robin MacDonald
I absolutely love the magical, warm feeling during the holiday season, so it’s difficult to narrow it down to a couple of favorite traditions. One that my husband Chad brought from his family and that we continue with our children, Will and Katelyn, is giving an ornament to each as a gift. The ornament is usually from a place that we’ve traveled to that year. The idea being that when the kids grow up and leave home, they’ll have this collection of ornaments they can use to decorate their first Christmas trees.
Another tradition we enjoy is a Christmas book advent calendar. Every year, I wrap the same 26 holiday books and place them in a basket by the fireplace. Starting December 1st until Christmas, each evening the kids unwrap a book and read it aloud. The books must be read in order, and progress in difficulty; the first few are board-books and the ones at the end of the advent are about Jesus and the Christmas story.
Again, I love the holidays and everything that we do together with our friends and family. I am already excited about the holidays just around the corner.
The Delgado Family
By Millie Delgado, age 10
Our family’s holidays wouldn't be complete without our annual gathering at Great Grandmother Eva's house. We've had Christmas Eve dinner at GG Eva's every year since I was little (and my dad says the same for him too) and the centerpiece is always GG Eva's homemade tamales.
As we arrive at GG Eva's cozy home, the aroma of freshly steamed tamales makes it feel like Christmas. These Mexican delicacies with pillowy masa dough and choice fillings are the stars of the meal. GG Eva makes three types - pork with red chili, cheese with green chili (my dad’s favorite), and a sweet version stuffed with nuts and raisins (my favorite).
We always have the same tasty side dishes - Mexican rice, creamy refried beans, and my Aunt Terry's famous macaroni salad. My dad and his uncles always eat the tamales with the macaroni salad and cold beer.
Sadly, last year marked the first time we gathered without GG Eva, as she passed away recently. Her absence was deeply felt, and we will work hard to continue her tamale-making legacy - learning her recipes and investing time and love - to preserve this beloved family tradition for years to come.