Ice rinks top attractions in desert holiday outings

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Ice skating and festive lights mark the start of the holiday season in El Paso in two popular locations. WinterFest is an ongoing event in the Downtown Arts Festival Plaza and surrounding areas featuring lights, food, holiday shopping, festivities and  an new outdoor ice skating rink located near the Plaza Theatre. “As San Jacinto Plaza once again lights up for the winter season, we wanted to enhance the downtown visitor’s experience and create a new holiday tradition,” said Bryan Crowe, General Manager of Destination El Paso. WinterFest runs until Jan. 8.

Buñuelos' highest season starts a week before Thanksgiving and ends a week after New Year's Eve. (Karina Moreno/Borderzine.com)

The border region welcomes home holiday dishes from the Hispanic world

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EL PASO — Christmas, on the border is different than anywhere else in America. Traditions from south of the border come together to form a unique and delightful style of holiday mirth. Traditional foods originating from Mexico and beyond have made their way here and ingrained themselves into the local culture. Buñuelos are a tasty treat that span across many cultures thanks to the Middle East’s influence on Spain. Traditionally they are served at Christmas for the Christians, Rammadan for the Muslims, and Hannakuh for the Sephardic Jews.

The winter holidays have been packed with meaning, weighted down with lots of luggage. (Lourdes Cueva Chacón/Borderzine.com)

The presents we already have

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Teaching and Learning and Caring Blog

EL PASO – Can any holiday measure up to our expectations of it?  As in any city, our appreciation of it probably depends on which streets we travel, what we do there, and with whom. Holidays come in all sorts of packages, some so large we cannot avoid, like the proverbial elephant in the room, and some so small we barely notice they have come and gone. Holidays emerge from some collective sense about the specialness of an event and a belief that it ought to be remembered, honored. These events emerge primarily out of religious traditions (Easter, Passover, Ramadan), nationalism (4th of July, President’s Day), and the recognition of relationships (Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day). Among certain population groups, celestial events are also celebrated, such as the Chinese Moon Festival.

Navidad, Navidad, Blanca Navidad…

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EL PASO — La época navideña prácticamente está a la vuelta de la esquina y como todos los años en todos los medios de comunicación empiezan a bombardearnos con comerciales y productos que debes obtener en estas fechas, haciéndonos víctimas y blancos de compañías que durante esta época decembrina se enriquecen de manera agigantada. Esto  porque  la gente al parecer tiene un gran apuro de salir y gastar hasta el último peso del aguinaldo que con el esfuerzo de todo el año lograron obtener. Recuerdo hace un mes y medio haber estado viendo la televisión cuando salió un comercial promocionando “la magia de la Navidad.” Esto me hizo pensar: ¿cuál es en realidad  la magia de la Navidad, o mejor dicho, ¿cuál es la magia de tu Navidad? Creo que este término es muy amplio y que cada persona según su situación lo interpreta de diferente manera. Para unos es un gran  regalo, para otros es un tiempo de reflexión, para otros un tiempo para estar con la familia, y para muchos otros es solo un día más.  ¿Y para ti?