December carries a scent that’s hard to describe. It smells like simmering corn, warm bread from the oven, a house being lovingly scrubbed to welcome something new. It smells like people. Like history. Like family.
And something more: longing.
Not longing for things or lists or wrapped-up presents. Longing for connection. For being seen.
For healing what the year may have broken.
In many Latino homes, the holidays are more than a celebration. They are emotional rituals.
They’re a way to honor those who are no longer here, and to protect what’s still ours.
On the night of December 24, when the carols play and the chairs multiply, something happens that never makes it to social media: There’s a quiet forgiveness. A hug that wasn’t asked for but was given.
An unspoken decision to begin again, even when it hurts.
That’s the real meal of the season: the emotional one. What’s cooked with soul. What’s shared without explanation.
And then there’s the other feast, the one made of flavors that crossed borders with us. In my family, like in many others, December tastes like tamales and empanadas. It tastes like teamwork, corn husks passed from hand to hand, laughter, debates over how much spice is too much, and stories told in between batches of dough and hope.
Here’s a simple recipe, passed down in spirit: end-of-year tamales.
Ingredients:
• 2 cups corn flour (masa harina)
• 1 ½ cups chicken or veggie broth ½ cup oil or lard
• Salt, cumin, and garlic to taste
• Filling: shredded chicken or pork, olives, raisins, hard-boiled egg
• Soaked and pliable corn husks
Preparation:
1. Mix the flour with hot broth until the dough is smooth and pliable.
2. Add the fat and seasonings. Knead slowly, like you’re meditating.
3. Assemble the tamales: Spread the dough onto each husk, spoon a bit of filling into the center, and wrap it gently, like a gift.
4. Steam for about an hour. Serve with presence. Make eye contact.
Tamales aren’t fast. They take time. And that’s part of the message, too. To care. To share. To give thanks. All of that takes time.
As the year comes to a close, it’s not about how many boxes you checked. It’s about how many people you loved, fully. Who you gave your time to. Whether there was a moment when you simply said: “I’m here. All of me.”
This December, I wish you what can’t be bought: Rituals that root you. Meals that hold you. Memories that don’t ache. And a new year that finds you faithful to yourself. Because what’s cooked with love never leaves us. And what’s celebrated from the soul lasts.
Read CityView Magazine’s “The Holiday Issue” December 2025 e-edition here.
