By Fernie Ruano Jr.
It’s almost Noche Buena, a night Cubans take very seriously because it signifies Christmas Day is around the corner and the year is almost over. It’s also a time of joy, cheer, music, lechon, whiskey and rowdy and very happy kids. It’s a time of reflection and sharing with family.
That’s why today I am thinking about the vivid memories created as a kid while celebrating countless Noche Buenas with family and friends in Miami. My quiet, yet joyous, grandfather, with an apron around his neck, digging into the roast pork with a knife; my father standing right beside him, a piece of crackled skin in his hand. My mother, ever the perfect host, always running around, making sure everybody had what they needed. The music, El Gran Combo most of the time, Celia Cruz sometimes, blaring loudly into the Miami air. My cousins, all grown men and women now, creating havoc in the backyard. My uncle working on his Cuban cigar; Another uncle working on the cooler and toasting with anybody willing to toast. My sister and my friends; The vibe and buzz a mid-size family could create, in a matter of minutes. The eggnog and dominos, the football game on the television screen.
Today is a new day and personally it’s been an up and down year, one highlighted by transformation and personal loss, loved ones no longer with us. So many times we hurt for a minute and in most cases days, but eventually we move on; it’s part of life.
But I would be lying if I didn’t express my feelings today and write how much I’m thinking about my grandfather, grandmother, cousin, uncle and so many other loved ones our family has lost through the years. I am also consumed with thoughts of my mother, who has gone to lengths I don’t believe any other mother has; Ever.
Happy Holidays!
FRIDAY 12/26: It’s perfectly understandable if you’re still a little groggy and dehydrated, especially after drinking all the Heinekens in your brother-in-law’s cooler underneath the tiki bar counter and having to wake up at 6 am because the little guy couldn’t wait another second to start opening gifts. But you’re CUBAN so a cold shower and a microwaved plate of lechon should be enough to get you back on your feet and in the mood for Viernes Culturales/Little Havana Art Walk , the last Friday of the month Calle Ocho- spectacle filled with so much art, artifacts, food and music you might forget you left your 6-year-old son riding his new bike at Jose Marti Park. (Free, 7 p.m., between SW 12th and 17thAvenue on Calle Ocho)
SATURDAY 12/27: Come on, it’s alright. You know at some point over the past six months you’ve stood in front of your mirror half-naked slowly moving your hips and swaying your shoulders to the infectious beat of “Bailando”, the rheumatic and sensual Spanish-language hit Enrique Iglesias and Gente de Zona blessed your fine ass with earlier this year. And you love the song so much you play it on a loop whether you’re in the car, in the shower or in bed with Maria Elvira Salazar - 0n the tube. And you wiggle your hips and play with your long red hair in front of the mirror on Saturday mornings, in between mopping the floor and keeping an eye on the washing machine, as one of ‘Zona’s bouncy reggaeton songs plays in the background. Well, suerta el mopa and start digging for your skinny jeans and white blouse (bra is optional) because Cuba’s best imports since the cigars your uncle brought back over the summer are going to make sure you shake your booty as if it was trapped in a blender with a stack of mamey. (8 p.m., $55-150, Hard Rock Live, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood, FL, www.hardrocklivehollywoodfl.com)
SUNDAY 12/28: This game means as much as the one your 45-year-old boyfriend is playing in this morning at Tropical Park, since your 45-year-old boyfriend still thinks he’s the best quarterback on his team even though you’re going to have to help him get out of bed tomorrow morning. But babe, don’t even bother with your boyfriend, who is probably screaming at some poor 20-year-old kid who was picked last and is thinking about his hot girlfriend, not some stupid football game, and just put on your tight-orange tee and white short shorts before calling your best friend and telling her you have two tickets to the Jets-Dolphins game at Sun Life Stadium (347 Don Shula Drive, Miami Gardens, FL 33056, www.sunlifestadium.com), where a bunch of horny football players, some dressed in white and aqua, some dressed in green, will be waiting to entertain you while trying their best to keep their minds on a meaningless football game. Have fun. But don’t flirt!
Do you want to know more about this 305-reeking, beach-bumming, Cuban food-obsessed dude? Well, then.. You can connect with Fernie @wordbyfernie (Twitter) and Fernie Ruano (Facebook). Who knows? If he really likes you, he might even give you his email
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