Over the last week, I’ve been hearing from so many people who have been sharing fond memories of the old “Mis Crismes” tradition after I posted a video about it on Cuentos y Corazón.
In short, children who lived in tiny villages in New Mexico and southern Colorado used to go door-to-door to their neighbors on Christmas morning and get treats after saying the words “Mis Crismes.” (Yes – it’s a lot like trick-or-treating.)
A couple of years ago, I wrote that the tradition has largely vanished.
I’m happy to report I’m wrong.
It turns out, in the tiny community of El Rito, Colorado (near San Luis), people have revived the “Mis Crismes” tradition thanks to the efforts of Bernadette Barela and her 83-year-old mother Eufemia.
About 14 years ago, Bernadette put out a posting in the local paper seeking participation in Mis Crismes, and now about 12 families in El Rito participate, she said.
“We are just trying to keep it alive. Because if we don’t keep it alive, who else is going to keep it alive?” Bernadette told me over a Zoom call with her mother last week.
Eufemia said reviving the tradition of seeing children at her door has brought her joy and reminds her of when she did “Mis Crismes” as a child in the 1940s.
“The treats were peanuts, old-fashioned candies. And there were people that had apple trees, and they would give us an apple,” Eufemia said.
The Barela family told me children will come from all over southern Colorado to stop by and get treats in their community.
I put together another video showing the revival of Mis Crismes in El Rito and you can watch it here.
While I never experienced Mis Crismes, it is wonderful to see some families carry on the tradition of what makes our heritage in southern Colorado and New Mexico so rich and beautiful.
JEREMY JOJOLA 