December 2013
SanTan
FAMILY FUN “An award-winning publication” A publication of the
SanTan Sun News
s ’ t a h W e d i s n I Pages 2-4 SanTan Family Fun Calendar
Pages 6-8 Gridiron Update
Page 10 Mandarin Immersion
Page 12 Just 4 Kids Sponsored by City of Chandler Recreation Division For info on sponsoring the SanTan Family Fun Calendar, email Ads@SanTanSun.com
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Holiday traditions offer joy, fun and comfort By Alison Stanton
No matter how hectic the holiday season gets for Stephanie Jarnagan of Chandler, she can always count on one thing: her father’s delicious green chile burros. Jarnagan says her parents Pam and Dale Johnson, who also reside in Chandler, decided they wanted to do something a little different for the holidays more than three decades ago. “Since our family has always had an obsession for good Mexican food, my dad opted for a special green chile burro dish. He uses a really good roast and cooks the meat all day in a slow cooker,” she says. In addition to enjoying the burros when they are finished, Jarnagan says she especially loves the anticipation of knowing her dad will make them for his family, which TIME FOR PRESENTS: After Christmas Eve dinner, members of Yvonne Hunter’s family head to the living room includes Jarnagan’s husband Tim and their to open gifts. Submitted photo three children, Kayden, 10, Connor, 7, and Kendall, 2. For Jarnagan, it’s a comforting “If they want to bring tamales back without enjoying her family’s many Polish tradition to count on when the rest of the home with them, they need to provide traditions. season starts to feel busy or stressful. sweat labor,” she says. On Christmas Eve, she says family “Unlike Thanksgiving when I'm always She loves the way the tamales bring her members gather together for a delicious trying to Pinterest new recipes and dishes, family together. It helps to provide some meal that includes Polish vegetable salad, it's nice to have our family dish to rely on stability during such a busy time of year. pierogies, sauerkraut and pickled herring, every Christmas and to know that I don't “It’s just about getting time to visit with which symbolizes wealth for the coming have that extra stress of trying to figure out our family. Right now, everyone is spread out year. what's for dinner,” she says. and so busy, but when we make the tamales “After dinner, we have pieces of And, just like the burro tradition has we spend time together and catch up.” flatbread that we get from a local Polish been passed down from her parents, deli, and we walk around the room and Jarnagan says she is looking forward to cre- The magic of a go up to each other and say what our ating her own traditions with her family. wishes are for each person,” Hunter says. 40-year-old Santa suit “Ours will likely involve volunteering Each person will then break off a For more than 40 years, Pat Larmer has in the community. Both my husband and small piece of the dry bread and eat it. kept a Santa suit in her home that is I are scout leaders, so community service is brought out every year on Christmas Eve. “We even do this with the little kids, important to us.” to help teach them about the tradition.” “It all started with my husband playing a Everyone opens their presents on department store Santa. When they did away Christmas Eve, Hunter says, and then the with it, we got to keep the suit,” she says. Gathering together older relatives attend Mass while the Every Christmas Eve for the past fourfor tamales younger people go to a midnight movie. plus decades, Larmer says a male relative For Adelita Rosenberg of Chandler, the Hunter says she is enjoying teaching or family friend will don the suit and holiday season has always been synonyher children—3-year-old Izabela and make an appearance at an ornament mous with tamales—as many as 15 to 25 6-year-old Luke—about her family’s exchange party for as many as 30 friends dozen every year. traditions and values, as well as incorpoand family members. “My mom had done tamales with her rating some American traditions of her “Santa will come, and give one preown mom, so this goes back many generahusband, Bill. sent to each child. Then he will tell them tions,” she says. “For me, it’s more about family and they have to go to bed early, so he can “We all come together as a family to spending time with them, and trying to come back and deliver find a balance between our cultures,” the rest of the presents. she says. This has worked really well,” she says, laughing. Alison Stanton is a freelance writer who Over the years, lives in the East Valley. She can be reached Larmer’s husband, at alison@santansun.com. brother-in-law, nephews, grandsons and friends of the family have all had a chance to dress up like Jolly Old St. Nick. No Resources matter who is in the suit, Websites: Larmer says she loves • parentingteens.about.com/od/familylife/ having the opportunity to a/familytradition.htm share this tradition with • psychcentral.com/lib/holiday-traditions so many people. • artofmanliness.com/2013/ A GROUP EFFORT: Members of Adelita Rosenberg’s family form an assembly “It’s just the fact that 10/09/creating-a-positive-family-culture-theline at the kitchen table to assemble their homemade tamales. Here, the so many friends and famimportance-of-establishing-family-traditions masa is spread on the hojas and then filled with red chili, some of which ily come, and that Santa also include black olives. Submitted photo has always been there for Books: the kids. It’s such a wonderful thing, and I • “The Joy of Family Traditions: make our traditional Christmas Eve so look forward to having that one very Mexican dinner, which is always tamales A Season-by-Season Companion to 400 special evening for the children.” and menudo at my mom’s house.” Celebrations and Activities,” by Jennifer The tamale-making production begins Trainer Thompson each year around Thanksgiving, Rosenberg Polish traditions • “The Book of New Family Traditions: says. Her brother and his wife fly in from How to Create Great Rituals for Holidays make the holidays New York for the occasion, and are put and Every Day,” by Meg Cox Yvonne Hunter of Chandler says the right to work. holiday season just wouldn’t be the same