Signature Abuelita Items To Cure Your Nostalgia

The memories we cultivate with abuelas are sacred. They are in the tostones we always crave or the batas we remembered them wearing throughout their lives. But once the days spent in her sala awaiting Walter Mercado’s Primer Impacto segment are over, we are left with a terrible nostalgia.

In my case, I started missing my abuela Justina once dementia took over her life nearly 10 years ago, and abuela Gina once I moved to New York City. The two have always been formative in who I’ve become, and so have the rituals, traditions, and objects they carried with them. Abuela Justina always loved clip-on earrings and cooking malanga, while abuela Gina has always had a green thumb and a deep love for making clothes. Carrying their heirlooms, trinkets, and rituals have always been a way to keep them close.

This year’s health, economic, and political crises have exacerbated our collective nostalgia. “Trauma takes away our gray areas. It divides our timeline into a before and an after,” Dr. Valentina Stoycheva told The New York Times. She also added that “transitional objects”– ie. abuela’s trinkets or rituals– can help us navigate this new, stressful reality.

These signature abuelita products and trinkets– curated by Team Emperifollá– can help you combat this overwhelming nostalgia, while the world continues to work on getting us to a more comforting reality.

1. Vicks VapoRub Chest Rub Ointment, $18.96