December is the busiest time of the year in the food industry. The first two weeks on the lot have been non-stop for us with events and normal busy holiday service. I feel that we are finally able to breathe a little better and have our heads a foot above water this week. The feeling of fatigue and mental strain seems to last just a bit longer though, which makes it just a bit difficult to get into the holiday spirit. For me, it doesn’t feel like Christmas is just days away.
I’ve been racking my brains on what to write for this month. There has to be something that inspires me about the holidays that I can write about. After all I’ve been celebrating this holiday for 45 years now. I just need a memory of my family tradition, a thought of a familiar taste, a quick flashback…
My very first real Christmas tree was during our first Christmas in the United States in 1989. Before then we only had artificial ones. I remember decorating a stick tree with my cousins when we were kids. We glued cotton balls at the end of each skinny branch, hung a few handmade sequined balls, and some lights. It was a funny looking tree but as close as we got to having a real tree at that time. Fir and spruce trees do not grow in the Philippines. The Filipino Christmas traditions are different from the westerners though. Christmas tree wasn’t such a big deal, at least for my family. We handmade parols, which are star shaped lanterns in different sizes and festive colors. Most families would have several parols hanging outside their homes. I thought that these lanterns were absolutely beautiful. We also didn’t have a lot of presents, money was the traditional gift. The family dinner, called Noche Buena is on Christmas Eve. Christmas day was for visiting friends and family. Filipinos also love Christmas so, the celebration tends to be long. Midnight masses start on the 16th of December until Christmas Eve. My sister, cousins and I never missed any of the midnight masses and not for the reason of celebrating Jesus’ birth but for the street food after the mass! Bibingka, which are coconut rice cakes cooked in clay pots and bicho-bicho Filipino donuts were two of my favorites. They are typically served with hot tea during this season. It was the best, and a tradition I surely miss around this time of the year.
A Christmas treat that was new to me until I moved to Los Angeles is a tamale. It’s easy to get hooked on these things with the silky masa filling with meats or just cheese and topped with salsa. Every year, the Buena Vista Cafe sells tamales for the holidays, a tradition that pre-dates me and will never get old. The tamale making is underway at Buena Vista Café and orders for these delicious treats are pouring in. It makes an easy delicious holiday meal or a great gift for anyone who eats.
Sometime last week, my husband and I were able to squeeze an hour of our busy night to pick up our Douglas fir tree. The smell of the fresh tree is wonderful. Over the years we have collected ornaments from each other and family members. For years my sister and I gave each other an ornament each year. I have one from her as early as 1992. I love it when my son Max asks about the history of each ornament and tells us the story of the ones we got since he was born.
As I walked back from Rotunda to Buena Vista Café yesterday afternoon, my eye caught the magnificent Christmas tree at the parking lot roundabout. It is gorgeous even during the day unlit. And at night, it is magical. For two years now I’ve witnessed the lighting of this tree. It is a beautiful moment: the showers of fake snow, the countdown begins, thousands of eyes fixed looking up, and the light comes on. For a brief moment nothing else matters. I’m sure that this tradition has many meanings to different people. For me, the lighting of this tree symbolizes a year accomplished with only minor bruises in my brains and ego, and the gratitude to be in such a wonderful team. It also promises a new year, which I am sure will be filled with many feats along with some missteps and many other things to feed my trade and soul. And lastly, this tree means to me that I am part of this tradition. I am grateful and honored.
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