Tamales for Christmas are a true Texas tradition

Forget the fruitcake and nix the nog.  In Texas, it wouldn’t be Christmas without tamales.

While shoppers from Washington to Maine swarmed the malls the day after Thanksgiving, many Texans were lining up to order — or make — Christmas Eve tamales. The corn masa-and-meat bundles — individually wrapped in corn husks and then steamed — are part of the traditional Mexican celebration of las posadas, which commemorates Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter before the birth of Jesus.

Rhett Rushing, folklorist at San Antonio’s Institute of Texan Cultures, said tamales have been traditional Christmas Eve fare for centuries because they’re portable, easy to store and inexpensive to make for large gatherings.  To read the full story click here.