The Tamalada (Tamale making Party)
This is the primary reason why Mexicans and Tex-Mex families have tamales on Christmas
What is so they have something to unwrap
Instead of a white Christmas, Texans often celebrate in this type of footwear regardless of the temperature.
What are Cowboy Boots
The designated family member who always brings the "store-bought" salsa and is never allowed to live it down.
Who is the Tio/Cousin from out of state
This dessert is a crispy, fried flour tortilla covered in cinnamon sugar, often served with a side of vanilla ice cream.
What is a Bunuelo
If you say you are full, this person will immediately place three more tamales on your palate anyway.
Who is Abuela (Grandma)
This is a specific job usually given to the person at the Tamalada who can't be trusted with the "fancy" steps.
What is the spreader
This San Antonio landmark is famously lit up with thousands of lights, making it a mandatory holiday pilgrimage for many families.
What is the River Walk
The "Tex-Mex" Alarm Clock on Christmas morning, usually consisting of the specific sound coming from the kitchen.
What is the scraping of a spoon against a pot (making menudo or pozole)
The Tex-Mex version of eggnog, which is often spiked with rum or tequila
What is Rompope
This flexible footwear becomes a precision-guided missile if you try to leave the house without a sweater.
What is La Chancla
This kitchen appliance is the "MVP" of a modern Tex-Mex Christmas for streaming massive batches of tamales at once.
What is a Tamalera (or a massive stock pot)
A Tex-Mex Christmas table isn't complete without this yellow, melted "liquid gold" appetizer.
What is Chile con Queso
This is the "standard" greeting that blends both English and Spanish, famously popularized by a Jose Feliciano song.
What is Feliz Navidad
A spicy hominy stew that is the go-to "hangover cure" for the morning of December 26th
What is Pozole (or Menudo)
This is the specific "medical" ointment Abuela claims can cure everything from a cold to a broken leg during the winter.
What is Vicks VapoRub (Vivaporu')
While traditional tamales use pork, this "Tex-Mex twist" filling often uses leftover meat from a Thanksgiving bird.
What are Turkey Tamales
These are the small, sand-filled paper bags with candles used to line driveways and walkways, especially in South Texas.
What are Luminarias (or Farolitos)
If you aren't wearing this specific type of "Texas formal" attire on Christmas Eve Mass, you might be underdressed.
What are stretched jeans and a western shirt
This "festive" condiment is often made with cranberries but kicked up with chipotle or jalapenos for a Texas kick.
What is Chipotle Cranberry Sauce
This is the exact number of containers you are expected to take home with recalentado (leftovers)
What is all of them (usually in butter or yogurt tubs)
This is the ultimate "Tex Mex sin" regarding tamales that will get you judged by the whole family.
What is buying them from a grocery store instead of a local tamalera or making them
This popular Texas-based fast food chain's orange-and-white striped cup is often seen as an "unofficial" ornament on many trees.
What is Whataburger
This is the "gift" you recieve when you are the one to find the plastic baby in the Rosca de Reyes on January 6th
What is the bill for the tamales on February 2nd
This is the name for the "second Christmas" meal, where everyone eats the exact same thing as the night before, but it's magically better.
What is El Recalentado
You must kiss every single one of these people individually upon arrival, or risk being called "uneducated."
Who is every single relative/ Tios/ Primos in the room