The altar before you is for mi abuelita, my grandma. A woman who was like all of us. She had faults, but also had her wisdom to teach. She taught me to celebrate life to its fullest. Saving the fancy for special occasions was silly, because what if you ended up never getting the chance to use it for that special occasion. The tiers represent parts of her and how I remembered her, at the top a nativity because to me she was the queen of Christmas, she would spend hours making Christmas goodies and crafts. Below is a stethoscope because she was one of the first female doctors in Mexico. After that is a Menorah, because although I never got to ask I have some suspicions she must have been a closeted Jew, because she taught me how to play dreidel and eat latkes. The objects below further represent her, as she loved a good broach and had many to choose from. The coffee with madeleines was a staple and how I got into drinking coffee that way, and have become some of my fondest and dearest memories of her. Lastly is a candle ready to be lit and served as part of a more spiritual and intimate moment.