I go home every Christmas because Christmas in Puerto Rico is unlike any other. Already I find myself listening to "parranda music" and preparing my liver for all the ron cañita that i'll consume. This time of the year is very special because it lasts until the end of February (I'm not joking) when I lived there, I could hear parrandas going on after Christmas and it's because it truly is the happiest time of the year maybe because of all the rum and pork that everyone consumes but that's besides the point and joking aside, I love going home for the holidays because it truly is a big party where you wake up early and go to sleep really late. Here's a list of the many amazing things that happen in Puerto Rico during Christmas!

1. Parrandas!

These are a must-have and they start late November and end in mid January. The whole purpose of this is going around singing pretty awesome music well into the morning and waking people up in which case, they have to let you in, feed you and then you're on your merry way to wake up the next victims . All jokes aside, here's a video (with awesome music) to give you an idea of what it is.

2. Food, Food EVERYWHERE.

Puerto Ricans are well aware that if we are about to start a diet, we don't start it before Christmas... That's law. Even though we try, the deliciousness of Puerto Rican food is too hard to resist and we find ourselves regretting it after January 6 when the pants that fit us in November don't fit anymore. It's all in the name of ridiculously good food.

I'll be mean and show you some pictures:

So much yas.

Puerto Rican Christmas staring kit:

Pasteles! (Our version of tamales)

Arroz Con Dulce ( my aunt Cecilia makes the best arroz con dulce) so delicious I might cry.

3. All the parties (sometimes five in a day)

I'm not lying, we wake up at 10:00 a.m. and get home at 5:00 a.m. It's all worth it. During Christmas, we don't even know what day of the week it is sometimes we simply go on a party schedule.

4. Family reunions!

This is everywhere, but i'm so excited to see each and every one of my cousins, aunts and uncles (there's a lot).

5. The hangover never stops.

Drinking pitorro and coquito at every single party and then regretting it the next morning whist asking yourself why you'd subject yourself to this much pain and suffering.

So much coquito.

6. PITORRO (notice the caps because this is exciting).

Pitorro is the equivalent to moonshine and it come in every flavor that you could imagine. It's also like the spirit of a Puerto Rican Christmas. Even if you don't like it, you have to take a shot of it... sort of like tradition.

So much regret and bad decisions.

7. All the Christmas decorations.

We have the tree up by November 1st and we take it down... never. It stays up all year-round. I'm not even going to start on the outside decorations ... you know who you are.

8. Tembleque.

Only a picture can do it justice

9. Our Christmas music is better than any other Christmas music.

Here's a video so that you can enjoy.

10. Three Kings' Day.

We Puerto Ricans (and other Hispanic cultures) celebrate "Los Reyes Magos" (Epiphany) it's an important festive holiday, and is commonly referred as Día de Los Tres Reyes Magos, or Three Kings' Day. It is traditional for children to fill a box with fresh grass or hay and put it underneath their bed, for the Wise Men's camels. The three kings will then take the grass to feed the camels and will leave gifts under the bed as a reward.

11. The temperatures stay at a nice 70 degrees all Christmas long.

12. Un "lechón en la bara."

Personally, I'm not a big fan of pork but this is a traditional dish to have in almost every party. Underneath is a photo form the 40's and we still cook it like they did back then!

13. Misa de Aguinaldo.

Christmas is also a time to reflect on Jesus' birth and we celebrate by having a mass that is almost all song. These catholic masses are held for nine days and they end in Christmas Eve.

14. New Year's Eve.

We party until we can't anymore and music fills every house that is celebrating. We enjoy an extensive show of fireworks and end the night by dancing and drinking and possibly eating any food that's left.

Our Christmas is the best Christmas to witness, if you haven't yet go and enjoy everything that Puerto Rico has to offer during this time of the year. There's a lot of dancing, a lot of eating, and a lot of drinking. Here's to Christmas everywhere!