Christmas Day, December 25, 2014 * !!MIS CRISMES!!! :) :). :) !!LOS MIOS!! * By-Gone New Mexico Christmas Traditions: It Was Like Trick or Treat But Better! * Now, this is one that we should Bring Back!! How many of you out there in FB Land ever went door-to-door, about elementary age, in your neighborhood, Pidiendo Mis Crismes? Im sure many of you did! What is Mis Crismes? Well, it was of the best things about Christmas-time when we were young! You see, Mis Crismes involved going door-to-door, early Christmas morning, knocking and yelling in unison, !MIS CRISMES! The people would answer the door full of Christmas spirit (no pun intended!) and put Christmas candy, nuts, oranges, apples, empanaditas, biscochitos, etc. in your bag, usually an old flour sack -- you get the picture?! Oh, it was great fun and we knew who gave the best goodies! It really depended on what you liked. And, New Mexico was not the only place this wintertime Trick or Treating occurred.Something like this was done in Mexico and Puerto Rico, etc. It was slightly different in that you put an old shoe out in the front of your house instead of going door-to-door and it would be replaced with a bag of candies, an orange, etc. You used old shoes, because you didnt get them back! The other difference is this happened in other places on El Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day, January 6th.) But, New Mexican children were not finished with just Mis Crismes! Why? Because Mis Años Nuevos was followed 7 days later, on New Years Day in the early morning, for a repeat of the yelling of the request asking for goodies that were being handed out to red-cheeked New Mexican children. Ahh, the good ol days.... :) :) Epilogue: New Mexicans still play a friendly game of beating each other to saying Mis Crismes or Mis Años Nuevos. :) Our neighbor, Chris P. Garcia, beat both my brother, Lawrence, and I to the punch (again, no pun intended!) as were putting up farolitos on Christmas Eve! Right, NOT luminarias -- those are bonfires, but Albuquerque and parts of southern New Mexico use continue to use that malapropism, oh well!! BTW, if you beat your family member or neighbor to asking for your holiday, you will likely just have a laugh over it, or they may offer:you a little Christmas cheer! Oh, and one more thing: !!MIS CRISMES!! !LOS MIOS!! :) Robt Naranj Robert A. Naranjo,
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 13:44:32 +0000
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