Q: Jaime, you are an immigrant to the United States, right?
A: Yes.

Q: What was that process like becoming a citizen?
A: Well first, I attended a special class to become a citizen. After about four or five months of classes, I started the process of the application and all the stuff I needed to complete to become a citizen.

Q: From where did you emigrate?
A: I came from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

Q: Interesting, so how is Christmas in Guadalajara, Jalisco different from Santa Rosa, California?
A: My memories of Christmas include fourteen years ago, celebrating Christmas with my family after I was married. You know, it’s pretty much the same with most people. They have a tree and lights and celebrate like normal. My wife is a Jehovah’s Witness now, so we don’t go to Mexico for Christmas anymore. We go other times.

Q: Is the symbol of the tree as important a part of the Christmas tradition in Mexico as it is in the United States?
A: When I came here, I noticed most people had their Christmas tree with lights and lots of decoration. However, in Mexico where I come from, we couldn’t do all that. We didn’t have electricity to power the Christmas lights.