feliz navidad

i thought it might be too late to post about our christmas in mexico but i realized that this was more than just a trip to celebrate the holidays.  this was a trip about tradition, family and food.  it's never too late to share that.

last summer, my dad casually mentioned spending christmas with his family in ensenada. when bobby heard that the wheels started turning, i could literally see them.  he and my dad made all of the arrangements to take the family to mexico for christmas.

we left on christmas eve and crossed into mexico early in the morning and made it to ensenada in time for lunch. i won't even tell you about trying to stop at puerto nuevo for lobster and feeling like we were being attacked by zombies.

andrew and my dad have this joke between them about calling each other gordo. and signs like this were all over the place.

then we went to my aunt and uncles house for the festivities.  i grew up spending our christmases with my grandmother here.  i have great memories of that time.  and how awesome that i got to bring my kids here to have the same experience.  i hope it's something they won't ever forget.

we were in awe of the nativity that my cousin put up.  awesome.

we had a posada which is the traditional christmas eve festivities.  singing, candle lighting, praying, and more singing.

and sparklers.  the kids were shocked that we lit these in the house.  i guess it's not a fire hazard here.

my cousins went all planning a traditional posada with song books.

then sofia was chosen to lay the baby jesus in the manger.

and afterwards we partied with "aguinaldos" - party favors filled with candy and nuts.

we ate dinner and played games.  it was fun watching bobby and the kids communicate with my cousins.  speaking spanish and english the best they can, and understanding each other pretty well.

christmas morning santa made a visit to the hotel.

we went back to my family's house for breakfast.  the best part was just sitting around the table talking, laughing and getting to know each other again.

we went to church.

and visited the port where the cruise ships dock.

the kids got to try street food.  churros filled with caramel.

and then back to the house to continue the party.  you have to have a pinata of course.

love this picture of my tiny aunt trying to tie a blindfold on 5'9" jordan.

we also got to visit a church with a room full of 100s of nativity sets.

big, small, fancy, simple, handmade and gorgeous.

and then it was present time.  we participated in the gift exchange and got some nice wine made in baja.

i gave to my cousin, cesar.

gifts for everyone.

after gifts the "kids" played a round of monigote.  it's played with a wine cork covered in wax and then set on fire.  you pass it around the circle and sell it to your neighbor.  if the flame goes out while your holding it, the person who sold it to you gets to draw on your face.  silly, but so much fun.

and a tradition from when my dad was a kid.

wednesday morning bobby and i ran the streets of ensenada.  not an easy task in a busy city.

 

we had a delicious breakfast.

and bought pan dulce to bring home.

and then waited in line for 3 and a half hours to cross the border.  i had to keep talking bobby out of doing some last minute shopping from the vendors.

what an amazing experience for my family, and for me.  christmas the way i remember celebrating it as a kid. time with my beloved aunt, uncle and cousins, who i adore!

and memories with my parents.  thank you for making this happen.