Comments on: Navidad: It Doesn’t Get Better Than Tamales and Pupusas

By: Sabrina Vourvoulias

Sabrina Vourvoulias — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 04:33:50 +0000

=)
My mother loved Audrey Hepburn. Now a lot more Latina girls have the name, but when I was growing up very few did. And I hated it. Everyone, but everyone, called me Sobrina. Sigh. I guess there are worse things than being everyone’s niece.

By: Keen

Keen — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 03:15:23 +0000

Thanks for your comment, Suzanne! We’re still figuring out our traditions–I’m choosing to see our holidays as a blank slate. Much less pressure, and we’re happy doing what we want!

By: Keen

Keen — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 03:13:39 +0000

I’ve seen some beautiful nacimientos, and I always loved seeing them at our neighbors’ because we didn’t do one at home. But I never saw one that took up a whole room! I’d love to see one.

By: Suzanne Mateus

Suzanne Mateus — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 21:19:54 +0000

Sabrina…beautiful name…of course Im a little biased thats my bebitas name

By: Cindy O

Cindy O — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 19:58:38 +0000

@ Sabrina,
I know exactly what you mean about the nacimientos. My parents are both from El Salvador and although I was born in the states (New York, to be exact) my mother has always made a large nacimiento but to add her own touch, she puts it under the tree. In the end all of the little villagers (some of which she inherited from her grandmother) end up stretching to about the middle of the living room. I have seen the full-room nacimientos at my in-law’s since my hubby is Guatemalan. I think, for my own little family I’ll take the under-the-tree variety of a nacimiento.

By: Roxana S.

Roxana S. — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 18:08:48 +0000

I absolutely love all the things you guys are doing for Christmas!! Sounds like a nice mixture of traditions! I’ve never been a part of a tamalada, but I can only imagine they must be a lot fun, albeit the work!

Felices Fiestas, Kim, y gracias por ser parte de nuestra familia!

By: Sabrina Vourvoulias

Sabrina Vourvoulias — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 15:12:33 +0000

I, too, grew up with Nochebuena tamales (in Guatemala), and have instituted the tamalada tradition in my household here. In fact, one of my favorite family photos captures every single loved-one’s hands engaged in some aspect of making them. The banana-leaf bundles are as much gifts of love as whatever is under the tree, don’t you think?

In Guatemala there’s a Christmas tradition of setting aside a whole room for the most elaborate and complex nacimientos you can imagine (villages, adjacent mountains and lakes with swans swimming in them, etc.). Is that also a tradition in Costa Rica?

Thank you for posting this. Very enjoyable.

By: Suzanne Mateus

Suzanne Mateus — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 14:15:43 +0000

I think you said it perfectly with you cant force traditions…that totally hit the nail on the head for me…I was having SUCH a hard time writing my post and think this is why. It kind of made me sad. I also started to realize that even though my little nuclear family holds certain values and want to express them during the holidays it makes it hard when other family memebers dont share the same values or traditions…that too makes me sad. How can we find that balance that makes celebrating the holidays a happy medium for everyone…should we even try to do that when we are trying to start new traditions with our little one…who knows? Ive just felt such a strong conviction this year to start new traditions with my baby…we’ll see what happens. Loved your post Kimberly.

PS: Love Costa Rica…been there twice…friendly people, good food, beautiful country.