There is nothing like Puerto Rico during Christmas. It's not like your typical Christmas that last about a week. No, no, no. Our Chrismas has already begun! Christmas in Puerto Rico starts the day after Thanksgiving and lasts up until the eight days after Three Kings Day. It constitutes a minimum of a whole month of partying, dancing, eating and drinking. If you are a Puerto Rican living in the island, then you are already getting ready for these festivities, but if you are a Puerto Rican making your way towards the island for your winter vacation, then you CANNOT wait for that plane to finally land. The activities in which you are bound to participate during this month (and a half) are narrated here in order. Please understand that these are just some of the activities as it is impossible to write down every single thing you do during this vacation because there is just not enough space or time. These activities include, but are not limited to:

Un-boarding the plane:

This one is exclusively for those who are not in Puerto Rico yet. This is how you know your vacation and the Christmas cheer has begun. As soon as the plane lands in Puerto Rican soil, everyone in the plane begins clapping thanking the crew for landing safely, but mostly out of excitement because they know they have arrived. There is Christmas music in the airport and everyone claps their way through the airport... Even the tourists who have no idea what is going on. As you pick up your bags and head outside, the heat hits you insatiately and you are reminded that you no longer have to wear a thousand layers to be outside. As you contemplate this fact, you see your whole family yelling and honking the horn of their car really loudly to make sure you see them pulling up. You are so excited you are not even embarrassed.

Christmas parties

The first party you will be attending will be your welcome back party. Here will be your closest family members and you will be told the same two lines by all your family members: “You are not getting fed over there in the States, now are you?,” and last but not least, “Mira, and the boyfriends?” After tonight, the real fun begins with the rest of the family parties.

Christmas songs

Puerto Rican Christmas songs are not like regular American Christmas songs. Our Christmas songs are all about eating food and drinking rum and pitorro. An example to get you started: “I drink my rum, my cold beer, I drink my rum, my cold beer, because in Bayamón it rains everyday.”

Parrandas and asaltos

Pull out your güiros and maracas! The most fun you will have during Christmas will be during the “parrandas" and “asaltos navideños.” This is when you party all night by going by friends’ and neighbors’ houses with a bunch of instruments and waking them up with the best Chrismas songs Puerto Ricans have to offer.

The uncle of the cousin of the aunt of your grandmother

At every Christmas party, parranda and asaltos you get to meet a new family member. Always. There’s always the cousin of someone that you have not met yet.

DANCING!

If there is something that Puerto Ricans miss when they are not in their island it is the dancing! And the best dancing done in Puerto Rico is during December and January.

Coquito and Pitorro

As a Puerto Rican, you might remember from when you were little making these two drinks with your grandmother before every Christmas party. Then, every adult would come up to you and compliment your great coquito/pitorro making skills. Now, you might remember making them, having a couple of sips, and not much more else.

Misas de Aguinaldo

The only mass you do not completely hate your mom for waking you up … Even though it is around 5:30am. There’s always Christmas songs sung and the best of Puerto Rican Christmas FOOD afterwards!

Christmas feasts

Speaking about Christmas food…. In Puerto Rico you will find the most amazing feasts which include: “guineitos en escabeche,” "pasteles," rice with "gandules..." and your grandmothers are always to thank for the divine delicacies. There is also the typical pork from "la varita" which a cousin you have never met is making all through the whole party and you only get to eat it at the end of the party.

Las fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián

This is the end of the Christmas celebrations. One of the last weekends of January, every Puerto Rican heads to the Old San Juan from around 10:00am until the last bar closes. There is great food, drinks, sangrías in a pouch, local art, local singers, and so much more. It is the last time of the season you get to sing Christmas songs and blame your lack of productivity to all of the Christmas celebrations.

See you soon my beautiful island! I can’t wait to celebrate with you the last of 2015!