Navidad

Luis Miguel is a popular artist that has Spanish Christmas albums. If you are interested, search Navidad + any artist name or Villancicos + artist name and see what you discover!

For most Spanish speaking countries, Santa Claus does not play a part. When I visit Mexico for Christmas, here are some commonalities and differences.

Commonalities

• Some people put up lights and Christmas trees

• Family gets together

• Christmas focuses on the birth of Jesus

• There are special dishes prepared for Christmas

• Some people go to church

• Nativity scenes (except these play a much larger role in Mexico than the US)

Big Differences

• No one gives presents

• People do give "Aguinaldos" which sort of means "bonus"

• no Dirty Santa parties

• No Santa Claus, Reindeer, elves (Some people dress up as Santa at parties, but the kids don't believe he is real)

• Mexico does piñatas

• Nightly festival Dec 16th - 24th called Las Posadas

• Family eats dinner at Midnight on the 24th and gets back together on the 25th to eat the leftovers for lunch

• No candy canes; a holiday candy called Colacion is popular. Also, mandarins and sugar cane and marshmallows.

Our Christmas visit in 2017 went like this (and you can see pictures here).

The mountains are always beautiful, but during Christmas, they have so many Christmas lights up that it is magical to be there at night.

Each night between December 16th and December 24th when it started to get dark, the grandma, all the aunts, uncles and their kids would meet up at our house and we would walk to the area of town that was hosting the Posada. If we get there early, there are not many people, but the ones who are there are praying the rosary over a microphone. When they are done, they put on Christmas music and people start arriving and hanging out in the street. It is impossible to drive your car during a Posada! I've never been early enough to see anyone reenact the journey that Mary and Joseph took from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

The adults who volunteered to participate and host the posada have divided up several responsibilities. The ones who made hot beverages and snacks start passing out cups of Ponche (a fruit punch with sugar cane and other fruits) or Atole (a thick corn dough based drink that comes in several flavors) and if you're lucky, you get a sweet bread (pan dulce) or a biñuelo (very sweet fried pastry) or even a tamal. Some hosts are creative and will dress up like the 3 wise men or Santa. When the hosts think everyone has shown up, they call for the children to line up and as they walk through a house or yard, they are given aguinaldos (bags full of treats). Then, the adults line up and get their aguinaldos. Children play with firecrackers in the street and people socialize and enjoy one another. Sometimes, the hosts will climb up on the roof and start throwing bouncy balls out into the crowd and the grownups act like kids again trying to catch them. Then, they bring out the piñatas. They usually have several and some hosts are very organized and will call only boys, only girls, only women, only men, etc. However, sometimes it is crazy and dangerous and I don't let my girls participate. When those clay pots break and all the treats hit the ground, people turn LOCOS to get as much as they can! When the guests are too cold, too tired, or bored, they walk home.

Every year, our neighborhood has to host a posada and my mother-in-law has to make aguinaldos, piñatas and provide a hot beverage, cups and bread. She usually makes enough for 50-100 people and other women help as well to make sure there is enough for everyone present. We make the ponche in a giant pot and have to take turns holding the handles while we carry it down the rocky street. We fill the piñatas up with sugar cane and candy. We buy the big items so it is cheaper and easier to fill the aguinaldo bags. Getting aguinaldos is kind of like getting a stocking on Christmas morning, except you can get one 9 nights in a row.

I get tired of going to the Posadas after the first few. It isn't fun if you don't know anyone and the kids are sometimes crazy with their fire crackers--4 and 5 year olds with fire! Unfortunately, my 6 year old got sick and was throwing up at one, so we left early. The first year we went, I was sick after entering a pig slaughter house and missed the best posada of all.

December 24th, we start preparing piñatas for our own family. And, we make a fruit salad that is special for Christmas, a huge meal, more ponche and everyone comes over around 9. We all hang out all night snacking and talking and playing games until we eat around midnight. Everyone gives everyone a hug and kiss and says Feliz Navidad. We didn't go to bed until 2 or 3 in the morning. Out of town family has been visiting this week, so we are sleeping crowded!

The next day, Christmas day, we wake up late and reheat the food. Those who woke up early went to Misa (church). We set up a table outside in the sun because it is freezing in the house and we chase away the chickens and dogs and lock up the turkeys. The family eats, cleans up, then we have piñatas! In 2017, we did 7 or 8. I put 200 pesos in 10 peso coins into the last piñata as my gift to the family. After that, everything goes back to normal.