It’s that time of year again when we all remember why we’re thankful for everything life provides. We get to celebrate the holiday season we love most and break out all of our favorite traditions.
So, exactly what does the holiday season mean to me like a Latina woman? In my family, holidays usually have involved sipping Coquito and singing my personal favorite Spanish Christmas carols with my family. For me, holidays are about tradition and spending time with loved ones.
Although getting a visit from Santa Claus is great, it's not what Christmas is all about.
Christmas is about spending time with your family and friends and being grateful that you will get to live another year. It is the best time of year, especially to produce new memories with your family members.
I wish people would start to realize that Christmas is about not only the gifts. Now, with the holiday sales and the pressure to find the best gifts, it seems as Christmas is becoming all about the presents. We compete to buy the most expensive gifts, which takes from the true meaning of the holidays – being thankful for family.
Spending time with your family should be the greatest gift you can actually receive for Christmas, and for me, that’s always been my favorite part of the holiday season. As a child, I did occasionally receive fancy gifts, but the price tag never mattered to me. All I cared about was making memories with my loved ones.
For instance, one Christmas, after i was about seven, my family got stuck inside a snowstorm the day we were supposed to travel home. My grandpa brought some snow inside because we weren't permitted to go outside, and my entire family had a massive snowball fight, then watched Miracle on 34th Street. I can't even remember which gifts I received that Christmas, but I will always cherish the fun memories I'd with my family.
And that's the only goal this holiday season: family.
Family may be the one thing that makes the holidays stand out. The holidays are a time for us to reconnect with the family members we rarely see and give thanks for the loved ones we have the privilege of seeing every single day. They're about getting together, loving each other, and making memories that will last a lifetime.
Throughout my life, I hope to continue my family's holiday traditions and make my very own.
This season, I'm excited to watch my favorite Christmas movies, sneak popcorn in the end decorate the tree, not to mention, sip Coquito and sing Spanish carols with my loved ones. After all, those are our holiday traditions, and this year, they're all that matters.
