Attribution: YIRO5005, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Christmas on the Border, 1929 by Alberto Rios
By Geoff Carter
The holiday season is all about family tradition. Whether it’s about going to Midnight Mass, carving the Christmas ham, avoiding the mother-in-law’s homemade eggnog, or sampling Grandma’s oyster stew, traditions are what makes our holidays special. But some people are hurting. Many are out of work. Some do not have enough to eat or a place to sleep. Not all families will be able to gather together. Some loved ones are gone forever. Yet, no matter the hardship and no matter their means, people will find a way to celebrate.
So, in recognition of our fragile and marginalized citizens who are doing the best they can to make this season festive and joyous, The Pen in Hand would like to present his collection of unconventional Christmas moments—snippets of film, TV, and audio—that celebrate the non-traditional, unusual, and exuberant holiday observances.
Christmas on the Border, 1929: Poem by Alberto Rios
In 1929, at the beginning of the Great Depression, the people of Nogales, Arizona, erected a gigantic Christmas tree in the town plaza. Children from all over the area were invited to come and help decorate it, but the Mexican town of Sonora lay just across the border from this magnificent tree and so its children were not allowed to cross over to share the joy. In a magnanimous gesture, officials from both sides agreed to move the Mexican border so that children of both countries could celebrate together.
This poem “Christmas on the Border, 1929” embodies the joy, the compassion, and the spirit of the season, including both cultures in the yuletide celebration. This piece resonates especially strongly considering today’s toxic political discourse. If we can look back to a time when–like the truce of 1914–we can set our differences–if only for a day–and remember the spirit of the season, then we might understand how similar we really are.