De Regreso a Casa.

Back home.

We spent Christmas in Mexico City with my husband's family. He is one of ten children (five women, five men), so there was quite a crowd at the table on Christmas Eve.
In Mexico the celebrations for Christmas starts on Christmas Eve. That is the day the big dinner is prepared and eaten close to midnight. Many people go to Midnight Mass (which ia usually at 10 p.m.), and dinner afterwards. It is also the last Posada.

Family started arriving at my mother-in-law's house at about 8 p.m. You can imagine, lots of kids. By 10 p.m. everyone who was going to be there had arrived. In total we were only 26 people since some of my husband's brothers, sisters, and other family members were spending Christmas Eve with their spouses. There were 15 members of the family who were not there, but they would arrive the next day.

We started with asking for Posada, then the Piñata, and finnaly the dinner. Afterwards each member of the family (starting by the smallest) said a few words. At midnight hugging and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. And at last we read the "gifts" Baby Jesus gives us with his birth. Unfortunately my camera's memory got full right after the dinner, and I didn't want to start tinkering with removing old photos at that moment.

But it was a beautiful evening, sharing with family. Oh, and the menu. Christmas Eve dinner is a combination of food from three worlds-
-Stuffed turkey, although Mexico had always had wild turkeys, the stuffed version comes from our Anglo neighbors. The stuffing is made with ground beef to which olives, raisins, and acitron is added.
-Then Bacalao a la Vizcaína which is salted codfish cooked with tomato sauce, chopped onions and garlic, olives, and chiles. This dish comes from the Spanish ancestry in Mexico.
-And Romeritos con Mole. This is a dish prepared with a plant that resembles the rosemary plant, though it is softer and juicier. It comes from the suaeda or seepweed family. It is cooked with very small potatoes in a mole sauce and served with shrimp patties. This is a Pre-hispanic dish
All of this is accompained with dishes such as spaghetti in cream sauce, and bread.

So here are some photos.

First asking for Posada. Everyone has a small
candle and sings.

Lighting the candles.

Outside the house, getting ready to ask for Posada.

Dara...

Ariel...

Lucero...

Ian...

Moises...

Andrea and Angel...

Mireya, brother-in-law's wife singing...

Ready to go in...




Then the piñata.
Everyone gets a chance to hit it.
This piñata was full of tangerines,
oranges, and sugar cane.

In my mother-in-law's patio.
The smaller kids are lined up waiting for their turn.

Dale, dale, dale no pierdas el tino porque si lo
pierdes, pierdes el camino....

Ya le diste una, yale diste dos, ya le diste tres
y tu tiempo se acabó...

Mauricio with his "spike" from
the piñata full of fruit.

Emiliano is happy with what he got.

Ariel with his hands full.

And the dead piñata...




Then dinner...

Getting ready to eat.

We had to take out the furniture from the living room
to put two long tables in which we would all fit.

Next New Year's Eve. We will spend it as the small family we are, at home, and eating some delicious green Pozole.

Hope your Christmas Celebration was great, and that the New Year brings you lots of happiness, love, and health.

Angie (in Mexico)