By Mackenzie Edwards, Staff Writer
“You’ve been Elfed.”
That’s what sophomore Kaylee Evans’ neighbors read off a bag of Christmas cookies on their doorstep.
Ever since Evans was little, she has been “elfing” with her family. Elfing is a holiday version of ding-dong-ditching with a sweet surprise: cookies! The Evans family bakes and decorates different kinds of cookies every year for their little game.
“My favorite cookie is chocolate crinkle cookies. They are so rich and delicious,” Evans said.
Not only do their neighbors get a sweet treat from being elfed, but they also get to elf another family so the elfing can continue from family to family through the Christmas season as a fun tradition that spreads holiday cheer.
Many other people have fun traditions in the kitchen like Evans.
Freshman Georgia Fuentes spends her Christmas break making Honduran tamales with her family. As they make the spicy meal, they share stories and fun memories with each other. Making the tamales is a great way for the family to have fun and spend some time together during the holidays.
The tamales are made of masa (a type of dough mixed with water), some homemade spicy paste, chicken and raisins. After the tamales are filled, they are wrapped in corn husks and steamed. It takes roughly an hour for Fuentes and her family to make a small batch of tamales.
“A couple of years ago, I made my first tamale. It tasted amazing!” Fuentes exclaimed. “That same day, we had our neighbors over and it was their first time trying Honduran tamales. That was an experience I will never forget.”
Fuentes’ tamales recipe is a secret, but there are many recipes online with a variety of sweet and spicy tastes.
Other students, like sophomore Daisy Morales, celebrate more than one holiday over the break.
Morales and her family celebrate Christmas in December and Three Kings Day in January. For the Christmas season, the Morales family makes an apple and cinnamon fruit punch called Ponche Navideno. The punch contains a wide variety of different fruits in it including grapes, apples and pineapples.
“It makes me feel happy making this every year during the holiday season. It really reminds me of my family getting together and having a good time,” Morales said.
After Christmas passes, the Morales family begins to prepare for the next holiday, Three Kings Day. Three Kings Day is celebrated on Jan. 6 (the 12th day of Christmas) to mark the arrival of the three wise men who brought gifts to baby Jesus.
The Morales family either makes rosca de reyes (three kings bread) or buys it from the store to celebrate Three Kings Day. Each member of the family gets a slice of the bread and has a chance to find a little plastic baby Jesus inside it. If you find baby Jesus in the bread, it is your responsibility to make tamales on a certain day. In the Morales household, that day is Feb. 14.
Celebrating both Three Kings Day and Christmas is a huge part of Morales’ holiday season.
“Both of these things are special to me because all my family is together and that is really fun,” Morales said.
Sophomore Mackenzie Edwards can be reached at 23edwardsma78@daretolearn.org.
