Christmas in Calgary, Canada for Latinos is not much different, it’s Christmas and it’s time to run to send congratulations and make purchases for our dinner. Go ahead and give a Latin flavor to your Christmas and if you have Canadian guests share our cultural traditions with them. At Christmas, Hispanics and Latinos can not miss the opportunity to reinforce our traditions even if we are shoveling snow from time to time! Many Latins in Calgary have gotten usted to the traditional Canadian Christmas menu, such as turkey with different types of stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce. Other Latin Canadians will stick to their own traditional foods from their native countries, such as tamales,
With regards to shopping, some people wait until after Christmas to do most of their shopping as there is Boxing Day, where there are the after Christmas sales and great discounts. And in this way able to purchase clothing and other things for the rest of the year!
Most Latin Americans and Hispanics will decorate their homes with nativities brought with them when they immigrated to Calgary from their country of origin, whether it is Spain, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador or Colombia. A nativity will usually be an important part of Christmas and it is often found in homes.
For some people this may sound too complicated and even boring, but that can change radically. Turn the task of Christmas decoration into Latin Style! Choose the style that best suits your personality and your home, start your imagination and start decorating!
For example, achieving a Mexican Christmas style is very easy, just go to a bazaar of handicrafts and look for more traditional ornaments, there is great variety: mobiles with Christmas trees or ceramic poinsettias, lanterns and cellophane paper crowns, ixtle spheres, copper bells and hand-painted wooden candles for the tree, paper bows, cut-paper decorations, and so on.
Other options are the Ixtle dolls that have some typical detail of our Spanish speaking countries, such as: rebozo or charro hat. These ornaments look great on the tree. A wrought iron figure in the shape of an angel or pine will also fit inside this style and can be placed on a corner table. Clay jugs for the punch will look great painted by you, with Christmas details, and you can show off at the inns or at Christmas dinner.
The birth is very important and should not be missing in the home that claims to be decorated for Easter. The story tells that it seems that Francis of Assisi was the founder of the births or “nativity scenes” and, over time, became an indispensable element in Christmas. If you still do not know what kind of birth to put in your house, there are many options in the market.
The most beautiful Christmas births are handcrafted, that is, those that have more detail in their preparation and are made of ceramic, clay, wood, straw, blanket and even tamal leaf. It is necessary to look for those that have discretion in the color and silhouettes defined with harmonic features, since they are the ones that shine the most. To further enhance the beauty of your birth, you can place small white candles, but be careful not to put them too close to the tree or straw, to avoid accidents.
You can also add Hispanic & Latin symbolic details such as: indigenous shepherds and indigenous women in mud, flower vendors and water carriers. And finally … This Christmas, dare to innovate decorates every corner, without exaggeration. The handles of the kitchen knives can be decorated with a small ribbon according to the color you have chosen as dominant in the general decoration. In a basket with eggs or in the fruit bowl, place pieces of garland. Some candles with cinnamon and a rattle placed on a plate or vessel will look good in the bathroom.
