“It’s part of our life,” said founder Alfredo Martinez to KTNV. “We plan to continue to do this until God says, ‘Let’s Go!'” His team will add between 1,000 to 2,500 pounds of the corn-based dough daily, leading up to Christmas Eve.

Martinez opened this local favorite back in 1980. Now, his daughter Neriza Johnson helps run the family business, which has expanded to downtown Vegas and Summerlin locations.

For over 40 years, Doña Maria has brought authentic Mexican flavors, including their best-selling pork in red sauce tamales, to residents for the holiday season. Their traditional recipes and hard work have earned them “Best Mexican Restaurant” awards multiple times from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

“I’m very humbled that Las Vegas has allowed us to go into their homes every year,” said Johnson to KTNV. “They have our tamales, and they say, ‘Oh, Christmas is not the same if you guys don’t have them!”

As Christmas gets closer, the wait times grow. Staff encourage online orders to shorten the long lines at both locations. Order tamales online and choose from five options: pork in red sauce, chicken in green sauce, cheese with peppers, beef in red sauce, or pineapple with raisins. Quantities are available in single, half-dozen, dozen, and family packs.