Watch grandma and granddaughter do ’12 Days of Christmas’ — in Hialeah style
In California Christmas tradition, “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.”
In Hialeah, Grandma goes shopping along “endless aisles” for Goya on the seventh day of Christmas, gets fish from Sedano’s on the 12th, six espressos from Versailles, buys a Cuban sandwich at The Little Window on the first day of Christmas, and dabs on some all-purpose cleanser from the supermarket on the fourth day.
Clearly, Grandma has it better in Hialeah on the 12 days of Christmas. She even gets Vicks VapoRub on the fifth day.
The new version of the traditional English carol originally written by Frederic Austin gets a novel update — Hialeah-style — by 90-year-old Louise Alvarez and her granddaughter Monique. The pair perform the 12 days sing-a-long, in English with some Spanglish, along with the help of vocalist Ryan Rodriguez and members of the Hialeah community.
Their spirited only-in-Miami twist — “Los 12 Dias de Navidad de Abuela (en Hialeah)“ — was filmed against the backdrop of street art in the Leah Arts District in Hialeah and surrounding stores, cafecito windows and supermarkets in the Miami-Dade neighborhoods.
Louise and Monique Alvarez, who call themselves “the Cuban Laverne & Chur-lee,” wanted to make people laugh and spread some holiday cheer “Cuban-style,” they say.
The gambit seems to be paying off.
Since the video’s release on Dec. 20, on several My Abuela platforms — YouTube, My Abuela in Miami on Facebook, Instagram and their website at MyAbuelaInMiami — they have amassed a couple thousand views for the five-minute clip.
Louise, who turns 91 in January, has always wanted to be an entertainer. The career nail-technician is showing it’s never too late to follow a dream.
“Never in my life did I think I’d be getting to do this in my life now, I’m 90! But as long as my legs work, I’ll keep moving,” she said in a statement. “I believe you gotta live in the moment. Enjoy today. Take the best of the present moment, and you can be as young as you want to feel.”
The duo came up with the idea to make videos as an entertainment team to help Louise cope with the death of her husband.
Monique wrote the new lyrics and scenarios to poke good-natured fun at Cuban culture — one of the gifts is an egg for spiritual cleansing on the eighth day of Christmas. They believe the bonding experience is universal.
After all, their video closes with the pair enjoying “bottomless mojitos and freshly sliced pastrami” next to a sign on the bar that reads “Hialeah kicks ass.”
“In a time when the political climate is so tense, a little bit of comedy and a lot of love — or as Celia Cruz would say, azúcar — can go a long way,” Monique said in the release. “Seeing my Cuban abuela take on this challenge at her age is inspiring. She is a light!”
The feisty and funny duo aren’t done, either. They plan to release nine more sketch videos soon.
“Be yourself,” Grandma says. “I don’t care how old I am. I want to feel good. And do what I can for others.”
This story was originally published December 24, 2019 at 10:02 AM.
