My name is Tamara Astin and I work in the office. During each Christmas Eve we have a very special dinner. Every year we eat food from a different country and we always let somebody pick in our family. Somebody gets to pick and we usually do a really fun, big dinner and all the kids come over. We do something fun for Christmas Eve. Usually, we will open up presents. Everybody gets to open one present each. On Christmas Day, we open up gifts from whoever’s house we go to that year. We started this tradition about 30 years ago. It was very different when we had kids because instead of receiving gifts, we had to give them. But I learned to love it very much, just seeing the smile on the kids’ faces when they open them.
My name is Eric Simental, but most people know me as Shiba, and I am a senior. I usually make gingerbread houses. We put up a tree every year; it barely fits in our house. It’s like a big tree with a ton of ornaments that we collect every year. And for extended families, we call them from Mexico. I usually get art supplies, but it’s not like the really nice fancy stuff.
My name is Rebecca Gonzalez and I am a junior. I guess it’s more traditional than other people, as a devoted Christian myself. It is not only a time of presence and joy, but it is Jesus’ birthday. We have a Hispanic tradition called a Raska Race. Every year we see who gets the baby and whoever gets the baby has to cook. We’ll write or we make tamales. Then we put up a tree and presents. We also do lots of calls with extended family from Mexico.
My name is Fransico Hernadez, and I teach JROTC. In our household, we open one present on Christmas Eve, and it’s always a set of pajamas. Christmas morning we wake up and each of the kids and the family gets four presents: a book to read, they get something to wear, something they want, and something they need. The younger kids still celebrate traditional Santa Claus. But for adults and older kids, they know that the gifts are from family. We started this tradition about 15 years ago. When we eat, we make hams and tamales and eat that after opening presents.
