Michelle Aguilar:

One of my most memorable Christmas years was on December 25, 2017. I got to spend it with my mom’s side of the family and dad’s side of the family. First, we went to my mom’s side of the family. We were there for a while and we ate some tamales with champurrado. After we finished eating, we had some family time. My mom took out some games to play such as Uno cards, Jenga, and Monopoly. When it was at 9:00, we opened our gifts and I remember getting some hoodies, shoes, and shirts. My little brothers had gotten some toys. Around 10:00, we left my grandma’s house and went to my dad’s brother’s house. At my uncle’s house, we had some pozole with hot chocolate. Throughout the whole time, the adults had their talks. My brothers and I were just playing hide and seek with my cousins or else we were playing on the Ps4. Once it was around 11:50, my aunt gave us some grapes so we could make a wish or something like that then she made us run a lap and come back. As soon as it hit 12:00, the little kids were going crazy about how they wanted to open their presents. My mom and aunt were just recording while we opened our gifts. We stayed a little longer after that because you know the adults were having a great time dancing and singing. Eventually, we ended up leaving so exhausted because of how much fun we had that day.

Evelyn Bravo:

The most memorable Christmas I had was in 2010. Most of the memories are from Christmas Eve, but the day went on till Christmas. That Christmas Eve we spent it at home, as we did every year. Family arrived early from Los Angeles and other cities to join us for the day. 

We first started off in the living room, watching T.V. with my cousins and the adults having conversations. A bit after, it was time to eat and my mom and aunts started setting up a table outside in our backyard porch where we would eat. There was a long table that extended across our porch, the moms on one side, the dads on another, and the kids at the end. I remember there being laughter all across the table while we ate our delicious food. My mom made the traditional holiday food that she always makes: tamales and pozole. Once we finished eating, my cousins and I ran off to play in the backyard. We spent the day running around and playing the usual games while the adults made more conversation at the table. Later in the night, my dad played music and the tables were put away. Everyone sitting down around the porch stood up and started dancing to the beat of the music. 

After a while my cousins and I got bored, so we went to the Christmas tree to look at the presents and guess what they were. I saw a present with my name and wanted to know what it was really badly. I tried guessing and my cousins too. We even tried poking a hole, but I didn’t want to ruin the surprise. As we tried guessing each other’s presents we also grew impatient of wanting to open them, but it wasn’t midnight yet. Each one of us asked our parents if we could open them already and they said yes. We were all so happy and excited to open them early.

Ellamarie Lacambacal:

My most memorable Christmas was spending time at my uncle’s house with my whole family. This past year, we didn’t have a Christmas party due to COVID. Christmas parties are where we have a big celebration of giving. We have a lot of food, mostly Filipino dishes or seafood. We gather around the living room to enjoy a good meal or watch a basketball game. After all the dinner we ate, we talked about our lives and then when the time was right, we did presents. Every year, my uncle who hosts these Christmas parties always plays Santa Claus. When I was little I always played Santa’s little helper, giving out presents and taking pictures. When giving out presents, we don’t go in a certain order, we choose presents that are close to us or around else. After a long day, people take food home and give hugs and kisses and finally go back home. Some of my family members like to stay a bit to talk or make plans to hang out. My family stays a bit and to hang out with my aunts and uncles. After that is done, my family heads back home and waits for another year and another Christmas party.