COMMENTARY: Old photographs stir up many Christmas memories

Once upon a time in our multi-traditional Rio Grande Valley, Christmas was celebrated as we do now, but at least in our family’s case there was much more hustle and bustle with family members, especially the children, making their way to Grandma’s house throughout the season. We gathered to prepare meals not only for our families but to also distribute some of the goodies to friends and neighbors.

I remember marvelous scenes with my cousins while helping to care for the little ones like Vickie, Larry and Carlos. We loved decorating, singing and eating while the adults tried to direct traffic. We had little cameras with black-and-white film that would record these beautiful moments.

I opened some of my late mother’s boxes recently and found many photos that told the story of our family’s old-fashioned Christmas get-togethers. And even though I had to use a magnifying glass, I enjoyed looking back.

There was my grandmother Victoria with her neighbor Lolita holding a poinsettia bouquet. Lolita could make lovely flowers with crepe paper. Mama Toya sent me and other cousins to her house to learn to make the beautiful flowers, but I flunked out. I just couldn’t make my hands wrap the stems. Lolita was patient, but I lost interest while my cousins did very well. Lolita encouraged me and asked me to try again, but I didn’t.

In another picture, I see Aunt Maggie by her famous and delicious cake with Christmas colors in the coconut frosting. Even if the picture is black and white, I remember the the red-and-green brightness. It was so much fun to take a spoon when no one was looking, run it over the rich icing and eat it. Wow, was that holiday fun!

Another picture has my cousins gathered around a Christmas tree that I learned to make in Mrs. Virginia Garcia’s sixth-grade class. I took a big branch from a tree and took all the leaves off, placed it in a big can with dirt and painted the entire tree with white paint. Once it dried, we trimmed the tree with whatever ornaments we could make and wrapped it with angel hair. I remember Ronnie, Zulema, Tony and Butch enjoying the project. I loved the memories that picture brought.

On and on I placed myself in the many photos of family and friends and each one told a lovely story that could easily be made into a Hallmark Christmas movie.

Oh, and then I found a picture of my uncle Guero who came home from the Army for Christmas feeling sad because he had left his lovely Gladys in Indiana. But she followed him to Brownsville. They were married at Mama Toya’s with Lolita’s poinsettias all around them. And Tio Cacho is in a wedding picture with a carnation in his shirt pocket. I guess he was the best man.

Then there’s the picture of my tias making tamales with Tia Julia making the masa and teaching all of us how to make the tasty treats. My cousins Levy and Lillian paid attention and to this day make tasty tamales. I again left the class but I did eat them, especially the borrachos with hot picante sauce in them. That and the picture of my mom eating one of Cousin Alma’s delicious buñuelos on New Year’s Eve make me wish to relive those glorious holiday seasons.

And why am I not in the pictures? Because I took them.

Although resources were low and sometimes the weather quite cold, all RGV families joined neighbors, church groups and family to give, enjoy and eat.

Here’s a picture of Tia Katy serving coffee to Uncle David and Papa Balta in the Christmas cups she bought for them.

I love the picture of Beto and Gracie trying to teach us to sing Christmas carols. We made a fun choir. The picture shows Irma and Pona talking to each other instead of singing.

Oh, there’s one more picture that tells a big story and I’m in it. We’re at Tio Gume’s ranch in Santa Monica eating chicharrones de puerco by a big fire with a cardboard Santa Claus wrapped around the serving table. I can still taste those scrumptious carnitas.

Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope this year’s events bring joy to you many years from now when you review the pictures, or videos, and relive precious memories like I did.

Dora L. Ruiz lives in Los Fresnos.