NEW YORK -- This holiday season may be even more joyful than usual for Carlos Beltrán, who was named Mets manager in November and is ready to enter his first full year at the helm. Before then, Beltrán is taking a few weeks to relax at home in Manatí, Puerto Rico, with family and friends.
MLB.com recently caught up with Beltrán to chat about his holiday traditions, both as a child and today:
MLB.com: What was a typical holiday like for you growing up in Manatí?
Carlos Beltrán: It was great, honestly. We didn’t have much, but we had love from my parents, and my dad worked extremely hard to give us the best he could. We come from a very humble family in Manatí.
MLB.com: What was the best gift you received as a child?
Beltrán: I always asked my mom and my dad for a bike. Every time I woke up in the morning on Christmas, there was no bike. My mom used to say, “Santa ran out of bikes and he couldn’t get you a bike, but we’re working hard on trying to send a message to Santa so he can get you the bike that you want.”
That happened for almost 10 years and that bike never came. Then, one year, it came. Let me tell you, I was so happy, so excited that I have never forgotten that moment. Now, being a parent, being a dad, we try to keep the same environment with our kids. It’s not that they can’t get the bike. Thanks to God, they can get the bike. But the most important thing is that a lot of times we get caught up in gifts and things like that, and I think it’s about being together, showing love and showing respect and appreciation. So for me, when I think about the holidays, I think about family gathering together, talking about life, talking about how we can be better and all those things.
MLB.com: What kind of bike was it?
Beltrán: A normal bike. It was one of those BMX bikes. I blew the tires the first day just jumping around. I was so excited about it.
MLB.com: What sorts of holiday foods do you look forward to?
Beltrán: We’re very traditional in Puerto Rico when it comes to the holidays. Roasted pig is something we do a lot -- the whole pig. I do that all the time. I’m going to Puerto Rico for about three weeks this holiday season. I host a lot of gatherings in my house. I love it. I just love seeing my nephews, my brothers and family, my cousins coming to my house. We play dominoes, we eat, we have fun, we make jokes. For me, the holidays are just a great, great time of the year.
Christmas, especially in Puerto Rico, is a little different. The weather is 89 degrees every day. We go to the beach. It’s not like Christmas in New York, where the weather is cold. We love the seasons, but we don’t get any snow in Puerto Rico on Christmas.
MLB.com: How often does your family get together when you’re home?
Beltrán: I do it almost every day. It’s not always big. I do two big parties -- one on Christmas Eve, and also a parranda. That’s when musicians and singers show up at my house to entertain a big group of people. Sometimes it can be 80 or 90 people so you have to be prepared. I’ve had 200, 250 people in my house. You’re talking about our best tropical singers that sing in Puerto Rico like Gilberto Santa Rosa, Victor Manuelle, all those guys. They show up and sing, and it’s a gathering that the family just really enjoys.
MLB.com: How has Christmas changed now that you have three children?
Beltrán: Something that we look forward to every year is putting up the Christmas tree. My Christmas tree always has all the ornaments on the bottom because the kids can’t reach up high. I try not to interfere with the decorating and just let them have fun, so the tree in my house looks a little different than the trees in most other houses. [laughing]
MLB.com: You maintain an extremely successful foundation and baseball academy in Puerto Rico. Is there anything you do with that while you’re home for the holidays?
Beltrán: By the time I usually get to Puerto Rico, classes are over, so all the kids are all back at their homes. But the Mets are playing the Marlins in April in San Juan, so I would like to take time then to visit my academy. I think we’ll spend a day off over there and it will be amazing for me to go there, maybe take some of the Mets players that want to go, and give the kids a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So I’m excited for that.