A different Christmas celebration - written by Maria-Elena Heed

                                               

The Christmas tradition in Chile is to celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. We carried on with this tradition till the children were teenagers.  

The Christmas tree would be decorated  a couple of weeks before Christmas and the "Pan de Pascua" (Chilean Christmas Bread)  would be baked. The presents wrapped and hidden away to be opened on Christmas Eve by the children. Our young children went to bed earlier than usual to let "El Viejito Pascuero" (Father Christmas) deliver the presents by the front door.  One specific year which I can remember so clearly today,  my oldest child woke up before the time, full of  excitement to see what "Viejito Pascuero" had left them, just as my husband was leaving the presents outside the door. We were in a predicament but we persuaded her to go back to bed. We explained that her daddy went outside to check out the noises we heard but he couldn't see anything.  Perhaps it was "Viejito Pascuero" delivering presents to other children in the neighbourhood. So she should go back to bed otherwise he wouldn't leave  the presents on the doorstep for her if she was awake. We put her back to bed and woke her up later saying we thought  we heard "Viejito Pascuero" knocking on the door.  She opened the door and there they were all the presents for her and her brother. I will never forget her little face of surprise and amazement when she saw the bags full of pressies.

Preparations to make the "Pan de Pascua" was when Christmas began for us. My sister would come over to help out with baking the "Pan de Pascua" which we shared amongst ourselves, some of them would go to friends and others to neighbours.  We would wrap them  in aluminium foil paper for about 10 days ready to be eaten for Christmas Eve. But more often than not the family would've had a bit of a taster session before Christmas Eve. 

So we first  gathered all the ingredients, and we'd start baking around early in the evening. A few hours later we'd still be at it and in between baking we'd have a few tipples and lots of laughter, it was such fun. I have fond memories of those days with my sister. We shared so many Christmases together back then. 

As the children grew older the tradition changed slightly, the meal was served on Christmas Eve at midnight, and for dessert we'd eat  our traditional "Pan de Pascua", afterwards  the presents would be opened that were laid around th ine Christmas tree. So the night of Christmas Eve was a long night affair, normally we'd turned in  by four in the morning!! 

Another Chilean tradition is the "Colemono" (monkey's tale), a Chilean cocktail made with white rum, milk, coffee, sugar and spices (cinnamon, clove, vanilla and orange peel) which is served with a piece of "Pan de Pascua" during the  Christmas and New Year.  Seasonal Greetings!