Originally this post was going to be 2 separate entries: A Very Merry Mexican Christmas, and A Very Texan Christmas. But then I realized I was going to tell you to make tamales for both of them, so here we are. Am I actually familiar with the culture of Texas or Mexico? It's a passing acquaintance; so if I get it wrong, forgive me.
In May Dan and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary with a road trip in the American South West. Traveling from Phoenix AZ, to Sedona, onto Monument Valley, and culminating in Santa Fe, New Mexico we saw an incredibly raw and harsh beauty of a country so very different from our lush Hudson Valley. But I kind of wish we had gone in the winter time; I suspect that the desert in the winter and the adobe houses in Santa Fe would have a unique magic in that cold dusk with lights all about them.
Everything I have ever read, or heard, or observed about Mexican culture is that family is everything. So, if you don't have a large family filled with aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, nieces, nephews, godparents this one may be tricky. Now is a perfect time to go recruit your brothers-from-another-mother, your sisters-from-another-mister, your uncles who aren't really your uncles, and your aunts who aren't really your aunts. You're gonna need 'em for a Tex-Mex Christmas; when we get to the food requirements, you'll understand.
Decoration
 |
| An edible wreath! |
In my alternate, fantasy life I live in a boxy Spanish Mission house the color of terra-cotta on a street called Camino Don Gaspar; George R. R. Martin is my neighbor and every Christmas he has me proof a few pages from The Winds of Winter (it self-destructs within 30 minutes). During the non-festive year, strands of dried red chili peppers hang in front of my door, because that's what you do in Santa Fe. But, at Christmas time, I wrestle them into a circle with a few sprigs of evergreen boughs and hang it on my front gate. On the smooth clay wall surrounding my little pueblo house are perched white bag luminaries pierced with a celestial design; they glow from the inside with a candle. The cacti planted on the side of my driveway are decorated with bright red chili pepper lights.
 |
| Tree to cat: Come at me, bro. |
Menu
Some things are absolutely non-negotiable in my fantasy Tex-Mex Christmas: Cornbread studded with jalapenos; a roasted citrus and avocado salad (this
one from Bon Appetit sound scrummy); thick, velvety
champurrado (although, in the interest of holiday excess,
Ponche Navideno will also be consumed by adults and very mature teenagers). But the real star of the holiday, the food that necessitates a house-full of family is:
Tamales
 |
| omigod omigod |
From what I gather, tamales are not actually tricky to make, but they're labor intensive. As I discovered, one does not fill dumplings on their own (unless you want to cry), and one probably should not prepare tamales with less than 5 Tias and Abuelas. They are terribly scrummy
But I suspect that the real enjoyment is sitting around with your ladies (and maybe a few men, it is 2018 after all), in an assembly line of tamale-making giggling at your cousin's most recent disastrous date, your mom's story about your dad that you could recite almost word for word at this point, and the gentle ribbing that only your grandmother can do.
 |
| I never can resist a good infographic |
 |
| Get 'em, Girl! |
Appropriate Presents
- A Christmas cactus (you had to see this coming)
- A donkey
 |
| (When I'm in my pueblo cottage next door to George, Kirsty) |
- Tequila
- A Sombrero
- Comprehensive immigration reform (sorry, that was a low shot... but you know...)
- A taco holder
 |
| I know these are meant to funny, but actually... |
- The skull of a human sacrifice from Teotihuacan
- A Mariachi band
- Independence (only for gift recipients from the Lone Star State)
- A bottle of Mezcal with the worm in it
 |
| Where's my book, George? |
- A mythical, long-lost gold mine
- Reparations for land stolen and exploited
 |
| ooooh sick burn |
Music
I mean, if you're not singing Felice Navidad, are you even celebrating Christmas? But even that song gets old after 2 rounds.
This playlist has my other favorite Spanish song for Christmas: El Burrito de Belen (Burrito as in little donkey, not the rice-and-beans-and-cheese wrap the size of a premature) baby. TBH, this playlist is literally Mexican Christmas songs; if you want pure culturally stereotyped camp, I got you:
Mariachi Christmas
Comments
Post a Comment