The holiday season isn’t quite over yet. Día de Los Reyes is celebrated Jan. 6 in many Hispanic cultures.
The "Day of the Kings" is a celebration of gift-giving with traditional foods and games. According to tradition, it is a holiday to honor the three kings who arrived after Christmas to deliver gifts to the baby Jesus.
Casa Familiar is a community organization that provides health and social services, along with other programs to support low-income families and their children living in San Ysidro and other South Bay communities. The organization hosted an early holiday gathering on Friday at the San Ysidro Civic Center, offering hundreds of free new books and toys donated by the California Highway Patrol, local businesses, and private donors.
Antonio Garcia, 7, and his mother were among the families lined up to enjoy the event. He is a second-grade student at nearby Sunset Elementary School.
“Hot Wheels (is what I want)," he said.
Playing the role of one of the kings, Martin Arias provided some picture-perfect moments with families. But his day job is with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office as director of prevention and intervention programs
“I think it’s important to start showing kids at this age that they’re valuable. So, in the future, they’re not going out and committing crimes. They understand their value," Arias said.
Free books of every kind provided a gift that will keep on giving throughout the school year.
“It’s not common that you can have a substantial library at home. You can check out your books (at a library), and we encourage that as well, but there’s something special about being able to go back to a favorite book over and over and you can call your own," said Lisa Cuestas, Casa Familiar CEO.
Between servings of the Rosca de Reyes cake, and the fun and games, Antonio Garcia received his Hot Wheel cars, and a good book making it a perfect end to the holiday season.
