My Trini Christmas Memories

In my “Who am I” post I claimed to be a “Trini to the Bone”. Even though I haven’t been back to Trinidad for Christmas in a very long time, this article is my nostalgic ride down memory lane. I have many fond memories of what this time of year is like in Trinidad & Tobago (T&T), the place I still call home.

Here in Toronto, the season starts weeks ahead of 25th December. In mid-November, the Toronto Santa Claus Parade kicks off the season. It is the largest parade in North America, and the oldest in the world originally put on by Eaton’s Department store since 1905. The closest we get to a Caribbean flavour is a steel band performance.

In T&T, as soon as you see people start painting their homes, buying new furniture, and changing the curtains in the windows, means that the season has started. Some people start preparing early, but most Trini households don’t sleep on Christmas Eve because they are doing everything last minute. I still have that bad habit… or is it just the way it is everywhere? Hmmm….

Trinbagonians are ‘limers’ and ‘feters’ by nature. Liming is the act of just hanging out West Indian style. And, a party is called a fete. All you need is some food, rum, and soca music and we ready to lime, but it could easily turn into a fete. You follow? Stay with me, you will get the hang of it very soon.

Depending on the community you live, in Toronto we have carolers going door to door spreading Christmas joy through song. In T&T we also have carolers but the Paranderos take the spotlight. Around mid-November, Paranderos start going door to door, singing Parang songs (only at this time of year) which is upbeat Spanish music of Venezuela/Trinidad influence. Take a listen….

If the homeowner (and sometimes neighbours join in) enjoyed the Paranderos performance, they would bring out typical Christmas time food and drink as a token of appreciation. Imagine the band doing this all night at each house they visit, they would not only have full bellies but also be ‘drunk as a skunk’ by the end of the night.

Another entertainment specialty at Christmas is Soca Parang. It is sung in English, but the lyrics are usually funny stories. Performers don’t go door to door, but you listen to the music all day on the radio, and at night you go limin’ in a fete. When Trinis lime, most times they go home next morning ‘drunk as a skunk’… sensing a theme here… (wink wink). All I’m saying is we love to lime, eat, and drink. Nothing’s wrong with that… right! Watch this video and listen closely to the lyrics, see if you can catch the double meaning. It will have you dancing and rolling with laughter simultaneously.

As I mentioned before, Trinis like to eat and drink… even if they are not liming. At Christmas time there are certain homemade staples that will be in every household in the islands of T&T. Months before, or sometimes since last Christmas, fruits would be fermenting in alcohol to make Black Cake (recipe). For non-alcoholics (there are a few) we make Coconut Sweet Bread (recipe) … ok this is really for the kids but everybody loves it. Lastly, we have pastelle – a corn dough shell with meat filling (recipe).

I should mention that there are foods other than our typical holiday treats like, hops and ham with Chow Chow, turkey, macaroni pie – our version of a mac and cheese casserole (recipe), callaloo (recipe), and so much more. Don’t forget the fruits like apples and grapes that “come from foreign” must be in every fridge this season. Trini’s love anything that come from foreign (meaning imported). It is usually a feast to beat last year’s feast.

In my household, my family of 5 had a pastelle assembly line tradition. If you browsed the recipe link  for pastelle you will understand what I mean. My mom is a fabulous cook so she would prepare the meat filling and the corn dough, and my dad would organize the banana leaf that the raw pastelle is wrapped in. Then there is the dough presser, the filler, and wrapper / string tying duties. After everything is pressed, filled and wrapped, my mom and dad would oversee the cooking. Then it’s pastelle lime! Since 2 of us now reside in different countries, it would bring great joy if we could re-create the pastelle assembly line at our next family reunion… no matter what time of year it is. That would be awesome!

STOP! You can’t have pastelle lime without drinks. The staple homemade drinks at Christmas is Sorrel – alcohol free (recipe), Ponche de Crème – our version of alcoholic Eggnog (recipe), and finally Ginger Beer (recipe). These are just the specialty seasonal drink offerings, but there will always be a fully stocked bar with Peardrax, regular beers to your liking, mauby (recipe), and hard liquor. Now the pastelle lime can continue.

Christmas morning is the best. You wake up with the smell of freshly baked bread, ham, and probably more pastelle. Every Trini house is filled with wonderful food aromas. It is a day to feast and celebrate the season with food, drink, and the company of their loved ones and extended family. Breakfast usually turns into brunch because Christmas Eve was a busy night. Some going to church and other cleaning and cooking for the big day. It’s a labour of love.

I might be biased but Oh Yes! Trini Christmas is the Best.

Just like everywhere else in the world where they celebrate Christmas, the week after 25th December, we all visit friend’s homes, exchange gifts, and eat and drink some more. People will not tell you this but its human nature to compare whose food and drink was better than whose… there it is… I said it. Tell me you don’t do that??! But truthfully, this is the family time you wait for all year. The kids are in heaven with all their new toys and gadgets, and the adults are happy and relaxed from all the food taken with alcoholic medication.

So there you have it – A Trini Christmas. I hope that you were entertained because if you are reading this sentence you have come to the end of my article. I find it fascinating how different countries and cultures celebrate differently. Start the member discussion below and tell This Avocado Tree community what is different about your celebration. If you are a Trini member, I am sure you can point out things I forgot to mention. I can’t wait to read your stories.

Be well this Christmas. Be kind to one another. But most of all, only give love!

Merry Christmas and all the best for a prosperous 2023!