Briana Beltran - Features

As the holiday season approaches, South Texas is brought to life with vibrant celebrations which reflect the rich cultural values within the region. From festive parades to family gatherings, the traditions that unite the diverse communities here are as unique as the people themselves. Whether it’s the warmth from a cup of Abuelita’s hot chocolate, hanging Christmas lights or the joyful festivities of the La Posada Parade, South Texas is a place where holiday customs honor both history and heritage. 

In Kingsville, Tx a local floral shop is bringing the “mistle-glow” this holiday season. Alegro’s Flowers and Gift Shop located at 213 W. Kleberg Ave. is busy crafting arrangements featuring poinsettias, fresh pine greenery and flair. Anabel Barnes and Head Designer Haiden Wilson have become the floral dream team for Kingsville, with their balance of creativity, consistency and encouragement they have provided customers.

“We have a lot of orders for centerpieces, a lot of family-oriented pieces,” Wilson said. “Our pieces are there to help greet guests into people’s homes whether it be by a centerpiece for a table or wreaths. Customers really love the scent of pine trees, so adding the greenery to small arrangements like that give our customers that scent without the responsibility of a whole tree.” Barnes and Wilson continued to bounce off each other mentioning the fan favorites such as Mistletoes. 

“There’s actually a lot of red, green and gold touches to our arrangements around this time of year and of course the popular South Texas poinsettias,” Barnes said. 

Alegro’s Flower and Gift Shop strives to give back to the community whenever they have the opportunity to do so. 

“For the shop small event we set up a bench and backdrop so community members could come by and take photos with Santa,” Barnes said. 

Barnes expressed her gratitude towards their loyal customers.

“Thank for supporting small businesses, it’s a great feeling to be able to design and deliver to our community members and serve our community,” she said.

Christmas trees and acts of kindness are central to the community's holiday traditions, from the beautifully lit tree in downtown Kingsville to the Angel Tree at Lone Star Ranch Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. For residents of the center, the holidays can be particularly challenging, as feelings of loneliness often intensify when they are away from their families. However, Lone Star Ranch has made it their mission to brighten the season and bring smiles to their residents.

“We have a resident tree that we put up every December and we advertise it through our Facebook page and word of mouth. So, people come in, they pick a paper angel off the tree and that paper has the resident’s information: male or female, and sizes on it. They go and buy whatever they want to provide for that resident. They bring it back and we just tie that angel to the bag, so we know what room number it is going to. If there are any paper angels that were not picked the staff does provide for those still needing a gift, so nobody is left out,” Activities Director, Alyssa Mancilla said. 

There are currently 92 residents at the rehabilitation and healthcare center. 

“I feel like at one point our residents were contributing to the community, so this is just a way for us to show our appreciation towards their hard work. I treat and care for our residents as I would to my own children, “Mancilla said. 

Lone Star Ranch Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center encourages the community to pick up a paper angel at 316 General Cavazos Blvd. to help spread joy this holiday season.

Most New Year’s Resolutions and commitments start on January first, this was not the case for the Leon family. With restaurants in both San Antonio and Kingsville, they decided to take the leap and open an additional restaurant, Lindo Mexico. Manager Adolfo Leon mentioned the foods his family eats during the holidays. 

“During the holidays my family eats tamales, and my mom always makes pozole. We like making desserts, they’re usually a type of Jell-O. My parents also make cafe de Olla,” Leon said. 

While the exterior of Lindo Mexico’s window is painted with Christmas artwork, Leon gave some insight to what Christmas looks like at the Leon residence. 

“Our house has very ‘Christmas-y vibes’ it looks like a huge Christmas tree exploded all over the house, there’s lots of red, white and gold. We play a ribbon game- we put a ribbon down on the floor and you have to try to grab it within a certain amount of time and we make little gifts for prizes. It’s always fun to play and be around family,” Leon said. 

Leonardo Chavarro owner of El Colombiano, shares a taste of his family’s food and holiday traditions at his corner of Colombia, at 117 N. 14th St. While the Leon family enjoys a cup of hot chocolate, Chavarro does as well, however his family makes it a bit differently. 

“We have hot chocolate but with cheese. We also love Colombian style chicharrónes. Loaded fries with sausage are a really popular street food in Colombia,” he added. 

Chavarro spoke about how his family celebrates and how difficult it is to travel during the holidays. 

“We celebrate Dia de las Velitas on December 8, Christmas time is very big in Colombia since a lot of people work and it takes a long time to travel to visit family. Over here [United States] we have a speed limit of 70, in Colombia there’s mountains so it’s 35-40 miles per hour, and then sometimes the property ends, and you have to ride for three to four hours on a donkey. Sometimes it takes days to travel,” Chavarro emphasized. 

He continued to discuss how New Years Eve is celebrated differently than it is in the United States. “We like to say goodbye to the year, we have these huge dolls called Año Viejos similar to a piñata and we fill it up with fireworks and burn it. You can make the doll look like someone you don’t like and the whole neighborhood dresses like the doll. There’s a whole parade and competition on who has the ‘best looking Año Viejo. This celebration is all day long, we also have neighbors reading out poems about you to the entire town and they call you out on everything,” he added. 

Chavarro also mentioned that the celebration involves lots of traditional style music and dancing.

“We are very Catholic and at midnight on Christmas Eve we go to the church, all the houses are empty we stop everything we’re doing. Christmas means a lot to Colombia,” Chavarro stressed. 

As we approach the New Year make sure to add venturing out of your comfort zone to try one of El Colombiano’s authentic dishes to your New Year’s Resolutions. 

The pink Christmas tree in Ares Bakery shimmers, its tinsel catching the light as customers walk in, greeted by the warm smile of Jenny Proc, daughter of Sou and Seth Proc. The Proc family has become a part of many customers’ daily routines. 

“I enjoy seeing people that have different time schedules, for example if they are just getting out of work or if they are on their way to work. We even have customers that drive three hours just to grab their breakfast from us,” Proc said. 

Proc reflected on how the holiday season impacts her family’s business. 

“I have always worked in the bakery; I grew up here. Our family is from Cambodia. We don't really celebrate Christmas, but I remember staying open around the holidays for our customers, especially for Black Friday during Thanksgiving week,” Proc said. 

Ares Bakery prides itself on their outstanding customer service and large selection of pastries. 

“We usually decorate our donuts according to the holiday with sprinkles or different shapes. I like seeing people smile when they see the fun and festive donuts, such as our heart shaped donuts during Valentine’s Day,” Proc added. 

Before you begin your holiday errands be sure to fuel up with a comforting cup of hot chocolate and fresh donut to support Ares Bakery.

Festive decorations, twinkling lights, the inviting scent of cinnamon and freshly brewed coffee fills the air, Kingsville Coffee Cup transforms into a cozy haven that feels like home. Manager Andrea Lopez works hard to create an inviting atmosphere for customers, by adding greenery and warm tones around the shop. 

“I always hear customers saying, ‘It’s so warm and cozy here, it feels like I’m in someone’s house,” Lopez said. 

The Kingsville Coffee Cup has become more than just a place to grab a cup of coffee, it’s a place for friends to gather and strangers to strike conversation in agreement of holiday flavors. Lopez spoke about the upcoming release of their new drinks. 

“For our holiday menu we have drinks such as our gingerbread cold brew, sugar cookie latte and candy cane refresher,” Lopez said. 

If you are interested in trying out one of their new flavors and experiencing the hub for seasonal cheer stop by 1220 N. Armstrong Ave. 

Less than a few miles away from Kingsville Coffee Cup is hairstylist Salomon Charles. Months before the holidays roll in, Salomon’s books are full of appointments from clients wanting root touch ups to blowouts. Inside Salomon’s salon are three distinctive Christmas trees. The most eye-drawing is a tree decorated with H-E-B and Limited- Edition Starbucks ornaments. Salomon shared that he is on his fourth generation of clients. He looked around the salon at his favorite decor, each reminding him of the sentiment they hold individually. 

“The majority of my decor has been gifted to me from clients. I’ve kept everything. I have the nativity set out- one of my clients gifted it to me and two years later she passed away, so she got to see it up twice,” Salomon said. 

Salomon continued to reflect on how his family’s traditions during the holidays have changed throughout the years. 

“We used to celebrate Christmas with immediate family on the 24th, Christmas Eve. But now since the pandemic, everyone has gone their separate ways it was difficult to get everyone together,” Salomon said. 

While grief has a tendency to knock on people’s doors during the holidays, many like Salomon are reminded to cherish those that surround us. 

“There’s been so many changes, we’ve lost so many loved ones. The holidays remind me of family, and I consider all of my clients, family. A lot of them have passed and then a lot have been with me since the early 80s, they mean a lot to me,” Salomon added. 

If you are struggling with grief this holiday season, please visit www.griefshare.org to find a grief support group near you.

Most would agree there is nothing as pure as seeing the magic behind Christmas and Santa Claus amongst the younger generations. The Christmas spirit lives strong with 9-year-old Ivy Emilia Garza. Ivy is a third grader at Ricardo Elementary School. Ivy loves to get into the Christmas spirit by watching her favorite Christmas movie, “Elf” and listening to classics such as Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Jingle Bells. 

“My favorite thing to do [On Christmas] is to open presents and watch Christmas movies with my family. I also like to look to see where the Elves on the Shelf hide. Their names are Candy Cane, Sprinkles, Cookie and Sparkles,” Ivy said. 

While Ivy made sure to be on her best behavior all year long to stay on Santa’s Nice List, the crew of elves are on a mission to report the household’s behavior back to Santa Claus at the end of the day. Ivy plans to bake Christmas sugar cookies to leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve, with the supervision of her grandmother Lucero Soliz. Before Santa digs into his cookies, there are a few gifts from Ivy’s Christmas List that she would like to see Santa leave under the tree. 

“I want Lilo and Stitch stuff. A Stitch bag, Stitch charger, Stitch tumbler to drink water at school, Stitch earbuds or headphones, Stitch watch and a Stitch blanket,” Ivy said. 

Santa has elves to help him prepare for Christmas, but many are left with the last-minute duty of wrapping presents themselves. With this in mind, owner of Flawless Fiestas, Valeria Weir set out on a mission to make the responsibility a bit easier for families. Weir added gift wrapping design to her extensive range of event planning services. 

“I was a teacher at Perez Elementary school and after 2020 hit, the education system was really affected. My mental health was really hindered by it, so I took a break from teaching and decided to start this business. My passion has always been to organize, create, design and decorate,” Weir said. 

Flawless Fiestas offers event planning, decor and wrapping services at affordable prices. Weir expressed her interest in making client’s lives easier. 

“A lot of women, people that teach, work in the medical field or just work a lot in general are left with the task to make ‘Christmas happen.’ When you work and want to have your house decorated, your parties organized- all that stuff, while working long hours can be very overwhelming. I wanted to provide a service for people to use whenever they get overwhelmed or run out of time. And at an affordable price,” Weir said. 

Weir flipped through a carefully crafted binder full of color schemes, explaining the different prints, textures and qualities she has available for clients to choose from. 

“All people have to do is drop off their presents, choose which theme they want and then come back to pick up their gifts to put under the tree,” Weir said. 

From the traditional red, white and green wrapping paper to a trendy, Scandinavian approach Flawless Fiestas make this season as easy as one, two, three.

We all love the traditional tamales but are you ready to change things up this year and try cooking something new for the holidays? Look no further. With a passion for blending cultures through food, Noemi Medrano brings the festive flavors of both China and the Philippines to life. Medrano offers cooking classes that educate participants on how to prepare traditional dishes and the history behind them. Medrano branded herself as mimi.kitchenboss on Instagram to showcase her cooking skills. 

Beginning with a Chinese Dumpling class which started off as a few people at a time in her home, that eventually grew to more than 20 people for each class. Medrano shared her cooking classes through a Facebook group, Navigating Corpus Christi which would sell out for every class. This caught the attention of the Texas State Museum of Asian Cultures Medrano was encouraged to expand her business and bring her cooking classes to the museum. 

“Every class was selling out and the museum was extremely happy, because a lot of people didn’t even know about the museum. I was generating a lot of new foot traffic which benefits the museum, especially with grants. When I had posted about the lumpia class the link to sign up and so much traffic, the link crashed. What was once supposed to be 30 spots, ended up being 160 spots,” Medrano said. 

Medrano is currently on maternity leave until March of 2025, Medrano did not want the cooking classes to end, so she invited her friend JoAn Vela to take over the hands-on cooking classes until she returns. 

“Pancit is a stir-fried noodle dish and the lumpias are perfect party foods. Pancit has long noodles which represent long life, so pancit is always served at birthday parties and special occasions. Lumpias are a great finger food, and you can make them ahead of time, so those two are party staples and a party can be anything a Christmas party, or a small get together,” Medrano said. 

After spending over 10 years in China Medrano grew an appreciation for the celebrations and regional cuisines, such as the Chinese Dumpling. 

“Although Chinese Dumplings are eaten throughout the year, they have a special significance during the Chinese New Year which is based on the Lunar Calendar which is around late January or early February depending on the calendar. So, the history behind dumplings is that families get together, they have a family recipe a long assembly line of family members preparing the dumplings. The dumplings resemble old Chinese currency and the more dumplings you eat, the more you invite prosperity and wealth,” Medrano said. 

If you are interested in adding Chinese Dumplings, pancit or lumpias to your menu this season, make sure to follow mimi.kitchenboss on Instagram or visit texasasianculturesmuseum.org. 

For some there is a lack of authentic food that reminds one of home or the food they grew up eating around the holidays. 

“I love showing people my culture, especially through food, “owner and cook of Ora’s Kitchen Oralia Hay said. 

Hay shared that there are not a lot of options for fresh Venezuelan food in the area, and that she received many catering orders for Venezuelan families wanting traditional food for the holidays. This inspired Hay to serve and introduce Corpus Christi to popular dishes from Venezuela. 

“In Venezuela everybody loves Christmas it’s a big celebration, for us it starts towards the end of October. Some popular dishes are arroz con pollo or Pabellon Criollo, which we will be serving. We all love to eat pork, tequeños, chicken salad, ponche crema which is a drink made with cream and rum and hallacas. All of this food takes a long time to prepare so this is when the family gets together and everyone has their own job, there’s people cooking the meat, people stuffing them, some cleaning the plantain leaves and then those wrapping and tying them. It’s a big party we all drink, dance and sing to our gaita style music and sometimes we get so drunk we forget to put the meat in and the hallacas only have masa,” Hay chuckled. 

It is difficult for Hay to travel back to Venezuela, but she has found her own family through her customers. 

“I love everyone that comes through the door like we are family, I greet everyone with a hug and in our culture, we give a kiss on the cheek,” Hay said. “I always make sure everyone at the table is full and happy. During the holidays all that matters is family.” 

Bishop High School Senior, Jayden Galvan who has the same values as Oralia Hay from Ora’s Kitchen, shared how her family celebrates Christmas. 

“My family heads to my grandparents’ house in Driscoll, Texas on the evening of Christmas Eve,” Galvan closed her eyes and described the scent of her grandparent’s home…cinnamon and cleaning supplies. 

She continued to list her favorite activities during Christmas. 

“We have a traditional Mexican family, so we start off with music, drinking, partying and we always have games. We have this huge ball of saran wrap and we each take turns trying to unwrap it to get to the little goodies inside of it,” Galvan said. 

Galvan reflected on the sentimental traditions her family has during the Christmas Holiday. 

“I know it’s typically a Thanksgiving tradition, but my grandma started doing this for Christmas. My family is very religious, we are all Christians. We all stand in a circle and pray, we each say what we are grateful for this past year and what we wish for in the upcoming year,” Galvan said. 

Galvan discussed what part of the celebration she is looking forward to and the impact it has had on her.

“I am looking forward to eating my grandma’s buñuelos and my dad’s menudo,” Galvan said. “I’m glad we have these traditions because I know I always have my family, and I can look back on all memories I have shared with my family.”

Writing a collective feature on different holiday traditions around the Coastal Bend gave me a unique opportunity to explore the similarities and differences within our celebrations, from Thanksgiving to the Chinese New Year. Along the way, I encountered language, religious and cultural barriers, but these challenges only fueled my passion for showcasing the diverse perspectives of our community members. Throughout my mission to capture the heart of our community, I learned about the power tradition has to bring us together. Thank you to everyone who graciously shared their cherished memories with me. On behalf of Kingsville Monthly Magazine, we wish you and all of our readers a holiday season filled with joy and connection.