WHAT’S A SANTA CLAUS?” I asked, the English language, among so much else, brand-new to me. My siblings and cousins and their friends stopped their conversation, looked at one another and all laughed at once.
We were in New York City, in my godmother’s fifth-floor apartment on 160th Street, talking about Christmas. I was almost eight and had just arrived in the United States, joining my mother, older brother and sister after a long separation. I was nervous about being so far away from the Three Kings this holiday season. They always knew where to find me back in the Dominican Republic, bringing presents on January 6, their feast day.
Pablo, my godmother’s son, showed me a picture of a man with a huge belly and a long white beard, dressed in…
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The Joys Of Christmas (Digital) - 1 Issue, 2020