By DINA ARÉVALO
Port Isabel-South Padre Press
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
I have it on good authority that things inside Santa’s workshop at the North Pole have been kicked into high gear as we enter the final countdown to Christmas. We’re just a couple of short weeks away before the jolly big man himself loads up his sleigh to deliver presents to children around the world.
Pretty soon, we’ll have to decide what kinds of snacks we should leave by the tree to thank Santa for his visit. The choice varies depending on where in the world you live. Here in the United States, we like to leave out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for St. Nick. My personal favorite is to leave chewy chocolate chip cookies still warm from the oven. But some people leave Oreos, sugar cookies, shortbread, snickerdoodles, or other sorts of cookies.
And you can’t forget about Rudolph, Comet, Blitzen and the rest of the reindeer, who must surely work up quite an appetite while circumnavigating the globe hauling all those toys. They’d probably enjoy finding some carrot sticks or apple slices sitting next to that plate of cookies.
Seeing as how Christmastime is also a time for Mexican holiday favorites in the Latino community, I bet Santa wouldn’t mind a trying out a crunchy buñuelo covered in cinnamon and sugar, or a pumpkin empanada.
Even a couple of tamales wouldn’t be out of the question, as long as they’re not too spicy. It might seem strange at first, but offering Santa some savory foods isn’t so strange an idea after all. According to history.com, children in Great Britain and Australia set out mince pies, while families in Ireland will leave out a pint of Guinness beer. French families will leave a glass of wine.
It would seem Santa has a pretty varied palate. I wonder what he would say is the strangest snack he’s ever encountered, or even if he has a favorite snack. And how does he not get full after finding so many snacks?!
I have to admit, though, that one of the best parts about leaving snacks out for Santa is getting to eat them yourself. It’s impossible to make cookies for Santa without eating at least one, isn’t it? I know I can’t resist.
So what kind of treat will you leave for Santa Claus this year? Cookies? Veggies? Tamales? Or maybe a little bit of everything? Let us know what your favorite Santa snacks are by visiting us online at www.portisabelsouthpadre.com.
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