This year we decided to start a new Christmas Eve tradition! We have always liked to do a "Twas the Night Before Christmas" theme, however this year we added one twist. We thought it would be fun to choose a country and do some traditions they do to celebrate the season. So this year it was,
"Twas the Night Before Christmas...in MEXICO!"
It was so much fun to do a little background research and to implement new recipes and games for the evening celebration. I chose things that were very do-able at such a busy time of year. Luminaries, or
farolitos, made from brown paper bags lined the walkway outside.
Of course a
pinanta was an absolute must! All of the kids had a ball!
Even Aunt Kim got into the fun!
Chicken tacos with all the toppings were on the menu.
A sweet rice, or
arroz dulce is a common dish served in Mexico during the holidays. Oh my goodness...it was so yummy! Here is the recipe I used...
¾ cup rice
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 cups milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
¼ tsp. salt
Scald milk. Put the rice into a deep baking dish, cover with the hot milk, and bake in a moderate oven for 3 hours, or until the rice is soft. Stir occasionally during first hour to prevent sticking. If necessary, add more hot milk. When almost done, add vanilla, sugar, and cream, and finish baking.
I also learned that on this day it is customary to share a
Rosca de Reyes among friends, a special sweet bread with miniature baby Jesus figures inside. Whoever finds the baby Jesus (often there are several in each Rosca) is supposed to host the party on February 2nd, traditionally serving tamales. I found a recipe on the internet to use, and instead of the figurine, I placed a couple of different whole almonds inside of the bread. The kids got such a kick out of this. And guess what? I've got 2 little boys ready to make tamales for all of us on February 2nd! LOL
The children's celebration of receiving presents is not until January 6th,
"el día de Reyes", the day of the Kings, or the Wise Men Day. But for some reason, I couldn't convince my children that we were going to wait until then.
Hmmmm...I wonder why? :)Next year...we'll take a look at how they celebrate in Sweden!
God Jul Och Ett Gott Nytt Ar!
What a joyful occasion to wake up Christmas morning! With snow outside, 4 little ones raced downstairs to see what awaited them. 
After what took just minutes to unwrap what had originally taken hours TO wrap, (I'm sure you can all relate!), we all sat down for our traditional Christmas morning breakfast. 
Lots of berries... (Some snitched before the blessing on the food!)
Juice and cinnamon syrup thanks to my friend Leigh Anne's blog...
And waffles with LOTS of whipped cream!
Check out that scrumptious cinnamon syrup dripping down! It was delightful, as well as very easy to put together! Leigh Anne shares the recipe HERE!
Of course you can't bring out the whipped cream without having a little fun with it, too. :)
Happy smiles, full bellies, and a few crumbs left over- just like the way the morning started...
.JPG)
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