Our Honest Christmas Wishlist

Tap or click on the image to see the full gallery of COCINA’s Christmas wishes!

Because if there’s one thing we know about Christmas wishes, it’s that they’re never small, quiet, or particularly realistic. They’re bold. They’re specific. They usually involve food. And somehow, they always come with a side of emotional backstory.

Some people wish for peace on Earth. Others wish for just one holiday where nobody asks them why they’re still single, when they’re having kids, or why they’re not eating more. A modest wish, really.

There are the practical wishes, too. Like hoping the hallacas, tamales, lechón, or roast chicken come out perfect on the first try. Or wishing the rice doesn’t burn, the sauce doesn’t split, and the one cousin who “just watches” in the kitchen actually helps for once. Christmas miracles come in many forms.

Then there are the financial wishes. A Christmas where the gifts look expensive but weren’t. Where nobody checks the price tag. Where you don’t have to explain that the gift is “experiential” because your bank account said no. Bonus points if the lights, tree, and extension cords survive the season without causing a blackout.

Of course, there are family-related wishes. That everyone arrives on time (or at least the same hour). That no one brings up politics between the first drink and dessert. That the playlist magically satisfies every generation, from the aunt who loves ballads to the cousin who insists it’s not Christmas without reggaetón. We wish for harmony — or at least a respectful ceasefire until dessert.

And let’s not forget the deeply personal wishes. Like having leftovers that actually make it to the next day. Wearing something festive that’s cute but forgiving. Sitting down “just for a second” without being asked to grab something from the kitchen. Or getting through the night without hearing, “You remember when you were little and did that thing…” followed by public storytelling.

Christmas wishes are layered, chaotic, hopeful, and a little dramatic — just like the holidays themselves. They’re about joy, yes, but also survival, laughter, and that moment when everyone finally sits down, food on the table, drinks poured, music playing, and you think: okay, this is it. This is the wish.

Tap or click on the image to explore the full gallery of COCINA’s Christmas wishes — the ones we all secretly (or loudly) share this season.