"Christmas Time in Tierra Amarilla"
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Growing up in Tierra
Amarilla during the Christmas season was an exciting, busy and festive time. The
school days between Thanksgiving and the beginning of the Christmas break were
the time for rehearsals for the school Christmas Pageant where the entire school
participated. Amateur actors, set designers, singers, and musicians took up
afternoons and evenings as we practiced for the big event. When it was time for
the curtain to go up, the bleak high school gym had been transformed into a
winter wonderland with fresh greenery, fake snow, and wonderful stage settings
created by the students. Our mom's, who eager to see their children at their
best did not mind the hard work of making and sewing the customs worn by the
actors.
The Glee Club under the direction of Mr.
Miller opened the night's festivities with several traditional popular songs of
the Christmas season. After several speeches by some of the teachers and the
school principal the curtain rose. On stage were several shepherds, wise men,
angels with wings, cutout camels, sheep, and a live Nativity scene depicting the
birth of Christ. During the intermission the Glee Club again entertained singing
traditional Christmas Carols. When the curtain fell at the end of the play, it
was promptly raised again and with all the participants gathered on stage and
along with the audience sang the final carol of, the night, "Silent Night".
The next day as the Christmas break began; the
idle students began to prepare their itinerary for the vacation ahead. Sleds
were taken out of storage the runners waxed and readied for the first good
snowfall of the year. Rubber shoes were inspected and if they were damaged from
last winter all they needed was a rubber patch and they were ready to go. Since
most of us wore hand me downs, it was time for our parents to determine if an
order to Sears & Roebuck for new threads was in order. We would study that wish
book from start to finish just wondering what it would be like to have this and
that, a new bike, or a refrigerator for instance. Once an order was mailed, we
would wait in anticipation for its arrival, going to the post office daily to
inquire if our order had arrived.
We were always taught to believe in Santa
Claus, that bearded man in a red suit and his eight reindeer (this was before
Rudolf made the scene) that magically appeared on Christmas Eve every year. We
believed so wholeheartedly that on Christmas Eve we would write letters to Santa
and throw them in the fire of a wood stove, we were told that the smoke would
carry them to Santa. To this day I actually think it worked. I am sorry to say
that this wonderful tradition of writing to Santa via smoke was not passed on to
my children. Since all of my children have wood burning fireplaces or stoves, I
hope to revive that tradition with my grandchildren and great grandchildren.
They of course are much smarter and well informed then my generation was, so I
doubt if they will fall for such a story.
As Christmas Day approached, my mothers and
grand mother's kitchens with wood burning stoves were always warm and filled
with that wonderful aroma of piñon roasting or empanaditas being fried in a cast
iron pot. Bizcochitos and cookies of all kinds were baked for the Christmas
season to be given away to family and friends as gifts.
Christmas Eve arrived and preparations began
for the traditional posolada after
A beautiful sight it was as we entered the
mission
It started to snow as the people left the
church, huge snowflakes illuminated by the light of the luminarias settled to
the ground. Everyone in a happy mood hugging and wishing each other a merry
Christmas.
My grandfather looks up to the sky, takes his
hat off and let's the snowflakes settle on his face for a moment or two. My Aunt
Cleo and Uncle Gumi arm in arm flashlight in hand walking home slowly through
the snow to keep from slipping. The older boys and girls walking home together
singing carols down the main street and stopping at the big Christmas tree out
side the Green Leaf Tavern for a few more carols before going home. It was time
to go home and wait for Santa.
Next day, a cold Christmas Day and two feet of
fresh snow, greeted us. I along with my friends went from house to house,
dodging snowballs from some of the older boys, for our booty of candy, baked
goods, sometimes money, or whatever was offered. It was a cultural tradition
that on Christmas morning, all the young boys and girls would take a flour sack
or pillowcase door to door yelling "MIS CRISMES" waiting at each doorstep for
someone to open the door and slip something in our sacks. In the quiet cold
crisp air of the morning you could hear voices yelling, "MIS CRISMES, MIS
CRISMES", all over town and kids running from house to house knocking on doors
waking up people. On many occasions people did not answer the door, we wondered
why, we didn't know that they may have stayed up late celebrating and had
probably just gone to bed when we got to their door. This tradition has ceased
and seems to be lost forever.
Today as I reminisce about those years growing up in
Tierra Amarilla with those long hard winters and the huge amount of snow that
fell and how cold it got. I sit back, close my eyes, and transport myself
back to those Christmas seasons of my youth. In those days growing up in T.A. my
worries were few and family and friends were the most important issues in my
life.