This year my family is spending Christmas at my husband’s hometown, a beautiful place that is surrounded by majestic mountains. We are looking forward to make speculaas (a traditional dutch cookie,) building gingerbread houses and participating in other traditions that are typical in this part of the United States.
As excited I am for my children to enjoy the european traditions that were part of their dad’s Christmas, I also crave the need to share with them Navidad or the things that made Christmas special to me. Luckily, there are so many ways where families like mine (with a strong connection to Latin America) can preserve their Latino Christmas traditions.
How To Preserve Latino Christmas Traditions
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Food
Food is one of the main components of Christmas in Latin America and an effective resource to pass on heritage. From chilaquiles to churros, from tamales to arroz navideño, there are so many delicious dishes to try and enjoy during this season. Check out for more ideas here in my Latino Christmas Food Pinterest Board.
Music
It warms my heart whenever I hear my kids singing villancicos, the traditional Christmas carols that are part of our Latino Christmas traditions. They bring back magical memories of familia and home! At Mundo Lanugo Youtube channel, these beautiful carols are introduced by friendly characters that your kids will soon learn to recognize by their names. The videos are darling and they are not only a great resource to teach heritage but also to teach language. Check out their channel and don’t forget to subscribe it!
Books
Books are also great resources to teach our kids about Latino holiday traditions. Plus, there is nothing cozier than reading books by the Christmas tree lights. From Noche Buena to Posadas, the beautiful stories of these books will warm your heart while also teaching you a few Spanish words! Check out 10 Christmas Children’s Books Latinos Will Enjoy or visit my Christmas Bilingual Books Pinterest Board for more ideas
Interactive Games
A great way to immerse your children to some fun Navidad traditions is through this app where for only $1.99 your kids can play fun interactive games “that promote the spanish language while your child enjoys his favorite Christmas theme activities.” I downloaded Mundo Lanugo en Navidad – Merry Christmas Games in Spanish app before our flight across country and it not only entertained my children for some time but it also helped them to transition into Christmas spirit. Their favorite game was decorating the gingerbread house while listening to the colors in Spanish. This app is available in IOS (ipad and iphone) and Android. You can watch here the demo.
What Do You Do To Preserve
Latino Christmas Traditions?
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this app for review. All thoughts and opinions are strictly my own.
