Feliz Navidad

Sam second (and third, fourth, seventh, and tenth) guessed himself in the days leading up to Christmas but it was too late to back out when he found himself on her doorstep in the nicest sweater and jeans he owned. He was not expecting a burly Hispanic man to answer the door. 

He did his best to remain calm as the man scrutinized him. "Hi, I'm Sam Braithwaite. Daniela's friend," he said in Spanish. 

"I speak English; don't strain yourself. I'm Hilario Morales. Come on in. We're expecting you," the man said before calling inside. "Daniela! ¡Tu gringo está aquí!" 

Sam frowned. He understood most of that last sentence. Your ____ is here. But what did 'gringo' mean? He was fairly certain he had heard it before but couldn't remember when. Daniela hadn't said it so had Lorena?