For so many of us, the Christmas season brings back many memories, often taking us back to simpler times as a child. The days when excitement and anticipation filled our hearts as we inched closer to Christmas Day. This year, Berlinda Herrera and her daughter Myra Trujillo of Questa give us a glimpse into “Mis Crismas” memories of cherished times past in northern New Mexico.
Herrera grew up with her mom and dad in a home near the Moly Mine. “We were poor back then but our Christmases were very special and memorable,” she says. With limited finances, winters proved to be the most difficult time of the year. She shared a story of Christmas one year when her father was very ill. “The only time I recall having a Christmas tree in our home was when my cousin, Ben Garcia, took it upon himself to go cut one down and bring it to us. He knew my father was sick and couldn’t do it.” Herrera was at school at the time and when she came home she saw the tree. “It was so big and beautiful.” That evening Herrera and her mother cut strips of colored paper and made a chain out of the paper and wrapped it around the tree. They then cut out a cardboard star, wrapped it in foil, and put it on top of the tree. “I asked my parents if we could get a string of lights for our tree and with the little money we had my parents bought a small strand of lights. That tree is one I’ve never forgotten,” she says.
On Christmas morning, Herrera and her mother would prepare a feast consisting of a small pork roast, provided by good friends. “My mom would make fresh beans, fried potatoes, and fresh bread. Our desserts were usually homemade jellies and jams my mom had prepared in the fall, served along with biscochitos,” Herrera recalls. All of these treats were enjoyed after they came home from Christmas mass. Herrera remembers one Christmas where she and her parents came home from mass and under the tree a present awaited her. “It was from the wife of our school superintendent and it was a sweater she made for me. It was the only gift I ever received,” Herrera says.
Herrera has many fond memories of her school days, specifically during the Christmas season. The Moly Mine school Berlinda attended from first to fourth grade was located where the main office of the mine is now. “We would participate in plays, sing Christmas carols, and wait for Santa to come. The school had stockings hanging for all the students during Christmastime and the children would anxiously await Santa to come and fill the stockings with candy and nuts. It was the best tasting candy and nuts I’ve ever had,” says Herrera.
Later in life, when Herrera married, she and her husband Eliu created their own Christmas traditions with their family. Berlinda and Eliu would take their five children to midnight mass, sing Christmas carols, and say a prayer in front of the Christmas tree. “All our kids would sit on the floor and our oldest child would play the part of Santa. Our children would eat cookies and then be ready for bed,” she recalls. Christmas day was a feast, consisting of homemade tamales, chile, empanadas, biscochitos, and prune pies.
When asked how Christmas has changed over the years Herrera says, “I feel it’s very commercialized. I’ve tried to instill in my children and their families the importance of the Christmas season, which is the birth of our savior, the importance of attending mass, being with family, and helping others.”
Trujillo says that when she hears her mother’s Christmas memories it brings her to tears. “My siblings and I grew up not wanting for much. We didn’t get everything we wanted but we had everything we needed,” Trujillo recalls. “We always had a Christmas tree and a vehicle to take us places. Listening to my mother’s story and how tough it was for her growing up made me think Christmas was more meaningful back then. It made me think about being more appreciative for everything you have and everything you get. I hope to instill in my children the importance of the Christmas season and just being kind to others,” says Trujillo.
When asked what advice they’d give to others as we prepare for this Christmas season both Herrera and Trujillo say it’s about what you do during the Christmas season that matters, and serving others. Both ladies advise, “call someone and check in on others, especially the elderly. People crave companionship, especially during the holidays.”
