La Noche Buena de mi Madre – My Mum’s Christmas Eve

Since I can remember, Christmas has always been my favourite Season, especially Christmas Eve. As some of you may know, I have a very big family, and it is a beloved tradition for us to celebrate Christmas Eve together at my Mum’s house. Personally, I love the atmosphere of the days just before “la Noche Buena”, as we call it in Gibraltar. I get to spend a lot of time with my mum, trying to keep up with this force of nature, laser focused on making this a special evening every year, with the added healthy quarrels, laughter, singing and dancing, honestly it’s just magical. At the tender age of 75, my Mum has more energy than a tornado: I dare anybody to outrun her as she skates along the many stores and markets to buy the best of the best! Spoiling us every year, satisfying all our ridiculous requests, honestly she’s too good for us!

So why would someone at 75 still dedicate so much energy and effort to making this celebration unforgettable? It’s because of her precious memories, and of beloved traditions handed down through generations. At her house Christmas was a very big deal, and my grandparents Ana and Julio would start planning early in September for what was the event of the year. This was their way to celebrate love and family, and once my grandmother passed my grandfather kept the tradition alive in her honor. For my mom, the holidays were the happiest moments of her life, and every year when she shares her memories with me it’s like I’m hearing it all for the first time.

My Mum doesn’t start with the preparations in September, but still at least a month in advance, and every year without fail all the members of the family will start pestering her with their requests. Our clan spans from Baby Boomers to Generation Alpha, so you can imagine all the different opinions they are eager to share . For a whole month it is a never ending: “Mamma, you are too old, let’s rent a venue!”; “Mamma, let’s do a buffet, we’re more this year, we won’t fit at the table!”; “Let’s order take out, or do it at Vicky’s!”; “Let’s do it at Clint’s”; “Mamma I’m a vegan!”; “Mamma, at least use plastic plates.”; “Mamma, my boyfriend is coming”; “Mamma, don’t forget the piglet’’; “Mamma, don’t you dare do the piglet!”; “Mamma, can my friend come?”; “Mamma, I’ll be running late, wait for me!”; “Mamma, this year I am sitting on a chair, not the stool”; “Then I am sitting at the head of the table!”; “Mamma, don’t forget to do Tajin, Caracoles, Tripe, Russian Salad, Stuffed Fish”… And this year, to add to the chaos, my mum will be “hanging me on the tree” so I can join them via video call!

But in the end, even with all the discussions (or jaleo, as we say in Gibraltar) my mum will do Christmas Eve a su manera! Because she is stronger than an ox, and it would take more than a lifetime to convince her to break her traditions. So we are going to give in, clear all the furniture from the sitting room, and set up an 8 metre table covered with a beautiful mantle and decorated with her best tableware. And sure, we will be sitting shoulder to shoulder, but how much fun it is! This is her way to show us all how much she loves us, and even though we already know that very well, no one would dare tell her to just chill with a simple dinner on the 24th.

Christmas Eve is one of the rare moments that my whole family is together, and this will be the first time in 19 years that I will not be able to be there. Surely, our whole world has been turned upside down and being apart from your loved ones is one of many hardships we have to endure.

One of this year’s rare blessings is Technology, as many families will be seeing their loved ones through a screen. Will we let this take us down? No, Christmas is all about being with the people we love, and we will make it work one way or the other! Surely, it’s not ideal, but during the course of this year we have learned to adapt and to find new solutions to every curveball that has been thrown at us.

So here are our suggestions for a fun Virtual Christmas, a list of Games you can play with your family and friends.
Bingo (you can use the actual game); Guess the Song (one has to sing a song the other needs to guess); Mimes (you mime something, it might be Movies, Animals, etc. and your Team has to guess it); 1 Minute of Words (pick a letter and challenge each other, the person who writes more words wins); Skibbl.io (a website to play at guessing each other’s draw); Kahoot (a Quiz website to challenge each other or in teams); Zoom the Object (you zoom an object with your tablet/PC camera and the others have to guess what it is); Read my lips (you mute yourself on your device and the others or your team need to guess what you are saying); Playingcards.io (a website where, by sharing a code with the other person, you can play cards or chess together); Netflix Party (to watch a Christmas Movie together at the same time).
What will you come up with? Share your suggestions!

Happy Christmas my Dear Family and Friends
Ana & The STI Team