South Texas Christmas in 1957 A. Lopez-Cadena, Rehoboth Beach, DE December 15, 2014© The yuletide holidays at abuela (guelita) Marias on Adams street in Falfurrias were my favorite. I asked what Christmas was like in Mexico, and Texas before I was born. Heres what Abuelo Rosendo said. It was different than today, not such a fuss,(commercial). One would get perhaps a new pair of shoes, or clothing. Oranges, apples, and nuts were stuffed into ones new shoes. Mom said during the depression, she only had three dresses to wear. They went without shoes most of the time, and walked to school barefooted. They put on their shoes when they got there. They walked from Falfurrias to Premont, how far is that? Mom was born in 1928, and the stock market crashed in 1929. Everyone suffered, but they had enough to eat because guelita raised chickens, and sold eggs, and abuelo grew vegetables. Id stay with them 4 or 5 weeks during summer break, and attended bible class at Templo Bautista. I adored them, and they me, abuela was like a best friend. She was young at heart. During winter, they ordinarily did not put up a Christmas tree. Mom convinced guelita she had to get one, and bought her an a four foot aluminum tree. She set it up in her living room by the door. It had a rotating color wheel, and that made all the difference. It was a big thing if your color wheel gave off nice colors, as not everyones did. The good ones were expensive, perhaps $30. That was enough money to buy groceries for a week. One Christmas, Dad and Tio Juan went deer hunting, and brought back three deer. There was enough venison for the whole barrio. Everyone was soon making venison, and pork tamales. They are so good. I remember a four p.m. merienda before New Year 1958. Coffee and warmed-up tamales were served instead of pan de polvo. (Pan de polvo is called povorones in Spain). Everyone gathered around Guelitas kitchen table, and ate, and chatted. The atmosphere was like the feeling you get at Thanksgiving. Sometimes corn, or meatless tamales were also served. Tamales with meat and raisins were my favorite. (Meat with raisins is an Andalusian treat). The orange and grapefruit trees were laden with fruit during this time. I once bagged sixty or more 5 lb. bags. They were gifts for Templo Bautista parishioners, and a neighborhood effort. Tia Tete brought pecans, and walnuts from the valley, along with colorful spiral candies. I helped set up tables behind the church Christmas eve. They were distributed after a six p.m. service. Everyone line up, single file to receive theirs. Me too. What I like to remember most, is not so much the gifts, as the process of preparing them. I liked the spirit of giving, especially to those less fortunate. My grandparents went to temple three or four times weekly year-round, and Guelita insisted I go with her. She said because I was her responsibility. I resisted, as it was against Catholic church policy. I went, but never became a member, and abuela was very disappointed. (I left the Catholic Church in 1983, for personal reasons.) The Baptist services were warm, in Spanish, and we worshiped el señor. Cousins Berta or Olga played the piano, and everyone sang, also in Spanish. Both my grandparents sang, we were lined up, always in the second pew on the left. I sat by the aisle, guelita to my left, and guelo to her left. Abuela sang loud--awful, like a crow. Grandmother once said, forget about the angles, and saints, there is only one God, you worship only him. Ive never forgotten that.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 11:41:17 +0000
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