It used to be that the only birthday in January was mine, but as the family has grown there are 4 of us with January birthdays. So today–as in other years–we combined them into one celebration. Our birthday celebration this year also coincided with the eve of the Lunar New Year, and since our family now includes members from Taiwan and Korea, it was only fitting that we celebrate Chinese New Year as well.

What would our family ancestors of centuries ago have said if they would have seen Mexican, Spanish, Aztec, Italian, Korean, and Chinese descendants sitting at a table as a family in a foreign country that was yet to exist?