Christmas Memories

["Erlinda Castanon-Long" <longsjourney@...>]

I wanted to wish the members and families of this group a Merry 
Christmas. Your sharing of memories reminds me that this is a 
special time of year when we get to remember and smile with the 
stories of holidays gone by and stories of some lost traditions.  A 
bitter sweet time to remember those no longer with us and a chance 
to pass on traditions, foods and our personal family history to our 
children and grandchildren..

I called my widowed 85 year old father in California and he told me 
he had a 'A Real Mexican Christmas' My brother had bought Tamales 
and my daughter made beans, rice and Banuelos... Of course he and I 
talked about the days he's parents bought 60 pnds of beef and 60 
pnds of pork and the whole family would spend days making Tamales 
for Christmas Eve and enough for everyone to take some home too. We 
talked of the men sitting drinking, telling stories of their 
childhood holidays, the women cooking, laughing, chasing the 
children out of the kitchen and teaching the next generation how to 
spread the masa on the corn husks.  In the evening Santa would come, 
give us a bag with an orange and popcorn and My grandmother, Dona 
Juanita would give us each a silver dollar while my grandfather, Don 
Epitacio would stand crying watching his family, eat, drink and love 
each other... what wondeful memories the holidays bring me.. I tell 
my kids to always make good memories, To share thier memories and to 
blend new traditions with the old..
So, I wish you all good memories and the chance to creat them with 
those you love.
Un abraso fuerte, Linda in Everett