Native actor Jeremy Gauna shares his favorite holiday meals, his cherished childhood memories, and his greatest wish for the new year.
It wouldn’t be the holidays without … a Christmas at Grandma's house where one or two family members are laughing together one sec and arguing the next. We are a big family, and it simply won't be the same once we can't all meet at Grandma’s anymore. Enjoy your family time people!
Favorite Christmas present I’ve ever gotten … I remember, it was 1998, and I was 9 years old. The Dreamcast gaming system was released, and I got one for Christmas. I will never forget the joy that I got from receiving my very own gaming system.
Best gift I’ve ever given … I once gave my mother a necklace that had a picture of her and me together, and that is a gift that is very close to my heart because I know how much it means to her.
Most wonderful Christmas memory … Too many good ones for just one. I have been blessed with an amazing family, and well, one memory that stands out is the year Santa brought us all a trampoline. We were extremely poor, never expected much, and the trampoline was a huge surprise. It gave us all so many memories together for years to come.
For our holiday meal, I especially look forward to … the ham. Doesn't matter what kind. I really enjoy any type of ham. My sisters and I would dominate the ham, and well, quite honestly....we get upset if there isn't any around. Also, I look forward to the stuffing (of course).
My family’s most cherished holiday traditions are … We absolutely have to have a family pic with every single one of us wearing some type of OU (Oklahoma Sooner) shirt or hoodie. Every year we all wear our OU best. It literally causes fights if people don’t come prepared.
The first song I put on my holiday playlist is ... So it's not a holiday/Christmas song, but my go-to song to get me in the mood for all the Christmas activities and family time is “Peaceful, Easy Feeling” by The Eagles. I used to listen to this with my grandpa, and it really soothes my heart, knowing he would be singing word for word every time it came on.
Best place to spend the holidays … No doubt, anywhere with family. I can't stress enough how blessed I am to have a huge family and to be able to still spend such a special holiday with them all. Shout out to all my family: I LOVE YOU!
Good organization for giving back … My grandfather, uncles, and cousins are either military veterans or affiliated with the police force and so forth, so any organization that gives back to or supports our military/veterans, our police officers, and our first responders. There are many out there, and I am grateful they’re all doing what they can to help.
My greatest wish for the new year ahead is … That we, as a society, come together and learn that every other person, no matter skin color, financial status, religion, or sex, all have struggles. If we can understand that we in some way all have our own battles daily, and some handle theirs very differently than others, then maybe we can understand and learn a better way to communicate and listen to each other, therefore allowing us to grow together more. I wish all the love to everybody always. Yakoke! (“thank you” in Chahta)