OUR CHRISTMAS EVE TRADITION

I usually have the Christmas eve off. I would spend the entire day preparing dinner for approximately 50 family members. We celebrate Christmas Eve as a big group, and saving Christmas Day only for immediate family members.

Everyone come over to our house to fully enjoy themselves. The foods are bountiful. The drinks are non-stop. I would even tend the bar upon request, of course. I usually order a whole lechon from a Filipino store. With the lechon my sisters and I would prepare lots of vegetable dishes. These veggies would be from local farmers. Believe it or not, the vegetable dishes would be the first to go. Desserts would consist of puto, tupig, suman, patupat (a recipe from my grandfather from his San Carlos plantation) and my daughter’s cream puff that she will never reveal the recipe! Of course we also have spears of the sweet Maui pineapples. This is not a pot-luck party.

My attire would be in shorts and red blouse with an extra long red sequined Santa hat. My husband would be in T-shirt and shorts with his camera around his neck ready to shoot all the photos. As soon as one guest arrives, the party begins. I feel it wouldn’t be fair for the early arrivals to wait for the late guests. The gathering would be out on the lawn with chairs all over the front of the house. The bar would be situated around the corner with the appetizers next to it. The buffet table would be set in the garage. My daughters would decorate the garage. My husband would decorate the front yard. The back yard is reserved for our two Golden Retriever babies, who would watch from behind the chain link fence with their toys in their mouth, as if to say, “play with us.”

Everyone is advised to bring a grab bag gift valued anywhere between $10-$20 and it has to be a unisex gift. These gifts would surround the 8’ Christmas tree decorated with white flowers and silver accents. The tree is located in the corner of the back living room.

During the party the karaoke machine would be on and anyone who wants to sing would just have to grab the microphone. The children would sing Christmas songs. The adults would sing whatever they (think) they can sing. We have some good singers and some really, really bad singers, but this is all in good time. For some reason they seem to think that they sound good when they’re drunk! It’s amazing what alcohol cam make you do!

My husband would usually say the grace. We call him the Reverend in the family. I have to tell you a story about him later. Right after the grace we would sing one Christmas song before partaking in grace.

When everyone has eaten and rested a bit, I would begin the game called gift stealing. By this time all of the gifts are now under the Christmas tree. I would create a number per person. Put all the numbers is a bowl. Each person would pick a number. The first person would pick a gift from under the tree, any gift. The second person may either take the first person’s gift or pick another gift. If someone steals your gift, you get to pick another gift, but you cannot steal from anyone. The last person would have the opportunity to choose whichever gift he wants or take the last gift from under the tree. This is fun especially when the gifts are very nice that people would want to take it from you.

I also have a singing contest. The score would be according to the karaoke machine. The winners from the children’s group would receive $20 cash. The adults would receive a $25 gift certificate from a local market.


After the games we would take family photos. First we would take photos per family, then everyone. We would take a serious photo and a “crazy” looking photo. We have a lot of fun. The party would end around midnight. At midnight my girls would open one present each. Everyone would then go home only to meet us again at 3 o’clock in the morning for our visit to the dormant volcano. Some guests may sleep over. --#

Marcie Tesoro