There is no holiday tradition like preparing for the main meal served on Christmas Eve, which for my family is preparing tamales. I can't believe I am going to admit this, but making tamales is one of my favorite things to do for the holidays. When I was younger it was such a chore, but as I've gotten older I've realized that it's not making tamales but rather than the company who you make them with.  This year my grandmother, mother, six aunts, two uncles and I got together and made 59 dozen! All for family and friends to enjoy this holiday season! Preparing for this is a lot of hard work and takes all day, so we get started very early in the morning. It doesn't bother me that it takes the whole day because it gives us plenty of time to catch up on what we are missing in each other's lives. My family always makes the red chili beef tamales as well as my grandmother's recipe of ground beef tamales. The ground beef tamales are so delicious that they have become more popular within our family than the red chili. I hope to continue this tradition with my own two daughters.

If you don't know anybody who makes tamales but still want to sample what many hours of work and family tradition tastes like, try a tamale at one of Tucson's many amazing Mexican food Restaurants like Carlotta's, Guadalajara Grill, El Charro, or Mi Nidito. They're always better when they're made by friends and family!