WE ENJOY TAMALES ON CHRISTMAS — ALONG WITH EACH OTHER’S COMPANY
Our tradition of making tamales starts long before Christmas Day. And this tradition will continue for years to come.
It all starts with “familia,” a word that can be taken for granted or a word that is dearly embraced with memories of my grandparents Bertha Cazares and Mary Stopani. They taught us to carry on many family traditions that we still hold dear today. I’m so proud of my Mexican heritage and blessed to be born into the Cazares family. In our family, prestige or wealth does not fortify our souls. What does is waking up on Christmas morning to the smell of menudo still simmering on my mother Irma’s 10gallon “olla” or cooking pot and the smell of tamales warming up to be indulged by her five grown children, 30 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and two more on the way. My mother has had Christmas celebrations at her home in East County since I can remember. We welcome all relatives, neighbors and friends who stop by.
Santa Claus always makes an appearance, too. He hands out gifts to all of the children — and the adult children. (He is usually the newcomer in the family, someone’s new boyfriend or husband, and if he survives over 100 people sitting on his lap, he usually sticks around.) There is always joy and laughter on Christmas Day. My favorite part is when the whole family gathers in a circle, and everyone expresses what they are thankful for. Each and every one of us is thinking about our loved ones, especially my dad, Louie Cazares, who has been gone for 40 years.
With such a large family, everyone pitches in potluck-style. Our tradition of making tamales starts long before Christmas Day. My mother handles the preparations before we arrive. That includes a trip to El Indio on India Street every year to buy dozens of pounds of masa.
The next step is choosing a date that works best for everyone. All generations of women in our family gather in my mother’s kitchen for what we call a “tamalada.” It’s a special day where we share stories and jokes while we make hundreds of tamales. We usually make three different kinds of tamales: chile colorado with pork, chile colorado with chicken and chile verde with cheese. The secret recipe belongs to my mother.
Because there are so many of us with helping hands, we make an assembly line. As we work, we talk and laugh, and there may be sips of champagne saluting the new year. The entire process usually takes hours, and seeing the kids running around laughing and playing makes it better. The elders start by spreading the masa inside the corn husks, then pass it down to the next person, who will add the filling. Then the next person does all the folding, and finally the younger ones tie the strings on the end of the tamales. Once they are all assembled, we freeze them.
On Christmas morning, we will steam them for a few hours before everyone arrives in a 10-gallon olla, alongside plenty of red menudo.
The group effort is what our family tradition is all about. And this tradition will continue for years to come.
As we gather on Christmas Day, we enjoy the tamales as well as each other’s company. In our family, it’s the simple traditions that make the holiday special. For us, anything made with love will always taste good. God has blessed us all with unconditional love and forgiveness.
May your hearts be full this Christmas, and always remember, you are not alone. Happy birthday, Jesus. Feliz Navidad.