Christmas in San Antonio

This year I am looking forward to my 54th Christmas celebration. Most of those Christmases were very similar. Gathering with family, gifts under the tree, visits to Santa at the local shopping mall.

My most memorable Christmas continues to be the year I found myself a single mother of two young boys, two and four years old. We were living in West Texas at the time, over 1,400 miles from my parents and siblings. Because of my work schedule, we would not be able to make the trip home to Michigan.

I was a bit nervous when my Mom suggested we go to my uncle's house in San Antonio, Texas just 300 miles away. Mom's oldest brother had always been one of my favorite uncles. I did not know his wife all that well and knew none of her family who all lived in the area. This would change in a few short weeks.

After several phone calls back and forth between Mom, my Uncle, and me, it was decided the boys and I would make the trip to San Antonio. I had to work until 5:00 p.m. Christmas Eve so packed the car the night before and after picking the boys up at the daycare, we were off for a Christmas adventure.

It was late at night when we arrived at my Aunt and Uncle's house but the minute we walked in the door I heard my Aunt yelling from the back of the house, "Is that them? How old are the boys? I have to know now!"

She was on the telephone talking to her mother and grandmother who were the ones who seemed desperate to know how old my sons were. After telling her their ages, she explained we would be going to her grandmother's house in a little bit and the women wanted to make sure they had gifts for the boys under the tree.

At 'Grandma's' house I was surprised to find over 100 people I did not know. The small house was packed. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and their families all gathered at Grandma's for Christmas Eve. The entire family mainly consisted of Mexican-Americans but one family had just arrived in the United States from Argentina. Several including Grandma did not speak English.

All of Grandma's great-grandchildren (most of whom knew no Spanish) had spent weeks before and learning a Christmas carol in Spanish, which they sang to Grandma as she lay in her bed. Some of the men had moved her bed to one end of the living room so she could be included in the festivities.

The boys and I instantly felt like part of the family. The boys had gifts to open along with the other children and I was ushered to the kitchen where there were pots and pots filled with homemade tamales and other delectable Spanish foods - the real stuff, not from Taco Bell or such.

My oldest son sat on a sofa with a boy about his same age from Argentina for over an hour. The two talked up a storm comparing the coloring books they had received as gifts from Grandma. Even though neither of them spoke the other's language there was no language barrier for them.

My younger son who was always a very quiet child took to my aunt's mother and sat with her while she held a plate for him to eat and catered to his every want or need. I was almost sad to see the night end when we returned to my Aunt and Uncle's house sometime after midnight.

On Christmas morning, Santa had dropped by in the early hours of the morning. Then we opened gifts and got ready to go to my aunt's mother's house for another round of terrific food, another large family gathering some of whom had been at Grandma's the night before and some who had not.

After the afternoon meal, the boys and I had to head back to Midland. The boys slept most of the drive and it gave me time to reflect on the last 24 hours. I had dreaded going to San Antonio for Christmas and would have rather stayed home with just the boys and I.

I did not feel that way now. I was thrilled my Uncle and Mom had insisted on our going for Christmas. If not for them, I would have missed the most memorable Christmas of my life. Not only was I given the opportunity to meet a wonderful family but was made to feel like part of that family.

I experienced how a family other than my own celebrated Christmas. Even with a different family, different cultural background, different language Christmas was a glorious time of year and Christmas that year is one I will never forget.

Christmas in Other Countries:
Christmas in Afghanistan
Christmas in Bolivia
Christmas in Greenland
Christmas in Australia