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My people, mi gente…welcome to my very first blog on the SiTV site. I am totally ecstatic about being a part of the SiTV family and can’t wait to find other dysfunctional members. You all may be wondering what it is I am going to blog about. Wanna take a guess? Well, food of course! What else would I blog about?

Yes, my people, it is Christmas time in New York City and the shopping centers are full of half crazed soccer mom’s during the day and cranky nine to fivers at night. The Red Cross Santa’s are in the street smiling and ringing their bells while bopping to Jay Z on their I pod’s. Christmas lights adorn the windows and gates of most homes and through every other window in the hood you can see the tip of a star or an angel on a Christmas tree.

Parents warn their children that Papa Noel (Santa Claus) will not bring them any gifts if they don’t finish their veggies or get a score of 100 on their spelling test.

In my house Mami would threaten me the only way she knew how, “None of abuelita’s (Grandma’s) arroz dulce (sweet rice) for you or any flan (Spanish custard) for that matter.” she would say. See, the issue with me wasn’t my spelling test or finishing my veggies (I always cleaned my plate) ; the issue with me was cleaning my side of the bedroom which I shared with my brother James. His side of the bedroom was immaculate. Hmm, come to think of it, cleaning my room, which I share with my daughter (single mothers I know you feel my pain) is still an issue. Her side of the room is immaculate. Oh well, some things never change.

Anyways one of those threats would send me into a semi cleaning frenzy. You see my people, I loved the holidays mostly because my abuelita made those delicious treats on special occasions and for Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) she’d make so much I could have seconds or thirds. *Halleluiah* Then it was off to church to attend the midnight mass to pray and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and ask for forgiveness for my gluttony while clutching on my rosary wondering what communion wafers tasted like.

So I’d run into my room and stuff all my dirty and clean clothes into my closet. Whatever didn’t fit in my closet I would push under my bed. Then I would make my bed and clear the top of my dresser by dumping everything into my two top drawers and clean the mirror with some Windex and spray the room with some Lysol and TAH DAH! My room was immaculate just like that. Oh, come on, you all know you did it once or twice yourselves.

Anyways one Christmas Eve, I was about 11 yrs old, my brother and I had just received praises for our clean room (if only Mami knew) when we received a phone call from some of Papi’s friends who were in town. They wanted to know if they could stop by and join us for Christmas dinner. No problem, between Mami, my sisters and my abuelita they had cooked enough food to feed a small village.

At about 6:00 pm the tables were set. The dining room table had a huge pernil (roasted pork shoulder) with the skin toasted and crispy. It also had an even bigger turkey with piping hot rice and chicken stuffing and they both sat smack in the middle of the table next to a pot of curried chicken and some Dol Puri (Indian pita) in a basket. The basket was surrounded by dishes of potato salad, stove top stuffing, mashed potatoes with a huge tub of homemade gravy, arroz con guandules, corn on the cob and hot dinner rolls smeared with butter. Everything taste better with butter on it; don’t you think? On the other table sat pumpkin pie , apple pie and one huge pot of arroz dulce and a whole tray of flan with extra caramel syrup poured all over it. I got dizzy just looking at it. We pulled out the folding chairs from the hall closet and were ready to be gracious hosts.

Papi’s friends arrived and wouldn’t you know it they had a son and he was the most beautiful boy I had ever seen, he was 13 yrs old and he was half Puerto Rican and half Guyanese with big light brown eyes and thick long dark eyelashes and dimples and perfect straight teeth. He was the most beautiful shade of brown. He even had a Kirk Douglas (RIP) cleft in his chin. (For all of you who aren’t old enough to remember who he is, he was Michael Douglas’ Papi)

*Sigh* I was in love. He smiled at me and my little chubby heart fluttered and my brother pushed me and said “Chubis is in love”. I wanted to die. Then Mami said to me and my brother “Ok, you guys can take everyone’s coat and hang it up in your closet”.

Well, the beautiful boy Rudy, offered to help carry the coats and he followed me into my room and he opened up my closet door and OH NO! ...

Everything fell out of the closet, my shoes, my notebook, my old hair brush and panties and dirty socks and… you get the picture. Then Mami came in with someone’s sweater and she looked at the mess and then said to Rudy “ Let’s just put everything over here in my room ” then she glared at me and let me know in front of my new beautiful boyfriend that I wouldn’t be getting any dessert and I better start cleaning this mess right now. My older sister Olga took pity on me and helped me clean my side of the room.

It seemed to take forever. My sister Olga left after 45minutes so by the time I made it to the dinner table everyone had finished dinner and I got the scraps and my beautiful novio was playing Dominoes with my brother and our cousin Reynaldo while eating flan and making goo goo eyes at my sister Nelly.

I looked over to the dessert table and there wasn’t anything left. But good old abuelita had saved me a little bit of everything and I had it the next day but somehow it just didn’t taste as rich as I remembered.

You see my people, I had missed out on the laughing and talking at the table while tasting all the delicious food. I missed out on looking into Rudy’s beautiful brown eyes across the table while he looked at my sister. I missed out on my baby cousin decorating the wall with the mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie and throwing a tantrum so severe that when my Tia tried to make him stop he ripped her blouse open and her double D’s popped out. I missed out my Tio (not her husband) drooling over them and lifting up his glass saying “I’ll drink to that”. I missed out on my sister’s boyfriend Oscar getting tipsy and teaching the kids how to dance Salsa while my brother James turned the lights on and off to get the strobe light effect. I missed out on Papi getting louder with every cup of Johnnie Walker. I missed out on Mami and abuelita crying over the family members who were no longer here. I missed out on the Christmas speech my father would give at the end of dinner. (My brother filled me in on the details)

You see mi gente, I had missed out on the most important and fulfilling part of the holiday season and that is breaking bread with the family and bonding with your people and making more memories for your life’s story. And boy have I got stories. I do hope you enjoyed this one and I hope you return again to mi espacio on SiTV punto com.

Lynx’s Logic:

Treasure the moments with your familia loca and clean your side of the room before Christmas dinner because you’re new novio may just stop by for dessert. Someone can save you a plate of food but being there and sharing the festivities is the true treasure. The traditions and the rituals created are what make your family …su familia.

Ah the taste of Christmas… Manana para la dieta! Viva Gorditas!

Happy Holidays my people, mi gente… Dios los bendiga, God bless.