65 pinas or 130 Tamales

My husband compared asking how many tamales one made, to asking how much a newborn baby weighed. It's the first question the neighbor will ask after just hearing you finished making tamales. We made 65 pinas (pinapples as my sister-in-law, Silvia calls them) or 130 tamales. 130 is pretty good for our first time making them solo and only having 5 adults helping and taking care of two small children at the same time.

My parents came down from the Springs, snowy roads and all and our friend, Sarah came over to witness and participate in the process, too. 5 hours later, I'm not quite sure she knew what she was getting in for when she came over.

Sophie loved the whole process, although it did creep into her nap time and she fell asleep watching a Christmas show. I looked at Sophie and Luca, playing with banana leaves, making Costa Rican tamales, and then going outside in the snow making snowmen, and I think, "How confusing or well, bizarre it is, to be making this tropical tamale here in Colorado with the snow." Last year when we made tamales, we were in Costa Rica, doors wide open to the patio with lime and mango trees, everyone wearing short sleeves and shorts and listening to Christmas music in Spanish.

Oh well, tradition is tradition, whether in CO or CR and I'm sure for Luca and Sophie this will be totally normal for them to make tamales wherever they are around Christmas time. This year, we choose to make tamales and in the years to come, Sophie and Luca will most likely come to expect the tamale making and they too will ask, "How many tamales did we make?"