Making the Old New

PHOTO COURTESY TRAVIS AND ANNIE ESTVOLD

BY HEATHER HAMILTON-POST

Three Stories of Shifting Traditions

BETWEEN WORLDS

For Theresia Muli, born in Kenya, the holidays are a family affair. “Most of my Christmas memories as a little girl are of going to church and then having these extravagant meals–things you didn’t normally get to eat–and then going to friends’ homes,” she says.

PHOTO COURTESY THERESIA MULI

When, in her early twenties, she moved to the United States, Muli says that she had a hard time navigating which holidays to celebrate and how to celebrate them. She struggled with trying to live in both worlds, wanting her kids to be a part of each. Now, she wishes she’d focused more on upholding and creating the traditions that felt special to her family, worrying less about doing things ‘right.’ “But I was growing as a human being in a world that is always changing,” Muli says.

Now, her grown children still make it home most holidays, and, instead of church, they enjoy food and family. For Christmas dinner, she prepares the same curries and chapati she grew up eating at Christmas, her children cutting onions and washing potatoes at the kitchen table. Around 5:30, Muli opens her door and welcomes the friends who will share the evening meal.

BRICK BY BRICK

PHOTO COURTESY AMAYA ODIAGA

Each year on Christmas or New Year’s, Amaya Odiaga and her family head to their cabin in McCall. Assuming there is two feet of snow on the ground, they build an igloo. “It takes two or three days, depending on how many people are helping. We’ve slept in the igloo, and last year, my daughter was able to do virtual school from inside, thanks to a long ethernet cable and mugs of hot cocoa,” she says.

From her father’s side of the family, Odiaga makes almond roca. “Even when I was away at college, my aunt would mail it to me. It means Christmas is here. Last weekend, my daughter and I were able to help my aunt make it–it’s a very special tradition that will be handed down for generations,” she says.

THREE TIMES THE FUN

Travis and Annie Estvold became parents to triplets during a global pandemic, though they look forward to a future in which they can get back to converging around the kitchen stove with Annie’s Italian family to make turkey spaghetti on Thanksgiving and beef spaghetti on Christmas–a full day production.

While Travis grew up between multiple households, Annie celebrated with her extended family. “I just love the vibe and the atmosphere–all the side conversations, everybody taking photos and running up and down the stairs,” Annie says. Travis loves the way Annie’s face lights up when they take out Christmas decorations. “We tell stories about the ornaments, which we’ve picked up along the way. I think about how fun it will be when the boys are old enough for that too,” Travis says.

“When my grandpa was alive, he’d sit in his Lazy Boy chair and yell to the kitchen, ‘Stir the sauce!’ So now we’ll be stirring and tasting, and someone will yell that out. We use my grandfather’s recipe, which he got from his parents who immigrated from Italy. We’d love for the boys to eventually take up the mantle and cook, but no matter what, they’ll be helping,” Annie shares, smiling.