What does tradition mean to you? What traditions do you hold close?
MARISTELLA: Tradition is familiarity, comfort and mindfulness to me. I absolutely love Christmas Eve, for example. I’m not religious, but the coming together of family and eating these very specific dishes—tamales, pavo, pernil, rosca navideña, arroz con guandú, plátano en tentación—just brings me so much comfort. When I was younger, Christmas Eve was spent at my paternal grandparents’ apartment. There was so much food and it was always so good. Then, when my grandparents passed away and my siblings got married and had children, my parents became the grandparents. Christmas Eve was now at my parents’ apartment, but many of the recipes remained the same. Some traditions are smaller, but not less important. Every weekend I make my husband a “hearty breakfast” as he likes to call it. I wake up every Sunday with such excitement and make us pancakes, hash browns, eggs and bacon with all my love. Seeing my husband enjoy it week after week is such a joy. That’s the mindfulness part. No matter how many times we do this, it’s always so special. We never take it for granted. A tradition should be acknowledged and celebrated with presence, not absentmindedness, no matter how big or small.