Best wishes for Christmas from the Gleni team

Christmas is a special time for everybody, whatever their race or nationality. It is probably the only feast which joins people all around the world in an unique big embrace. It is just in this atmosphere of joy and serenity that we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas, hoping that it is really harmonious and peaceful for everybody all over the world. We know that there are still wars and disruptions in many countries of the world and it is especially to those people living there, in those stricken countries where the predominant feelings are fear and despair, that we would like to send our heartfelt wishes for peace and harmony, hoping that they too will find some joy at this time, whatever their religion or their beliefs.

But, how will you celebrate your Christmas day?

Here in Italy, we usually celebrate both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with our family. Some people celebrate Christmas Eve at lunch, others at dinner, according to their personal habits and traditions. We usually sit around a very big table with our relatives and friends and eat many tasty special dishes from the Italian traditions of cookery. For example, we live in San Benedetto del Tronto, on the Adriatic Sea and our special dishes are based on fish! So, we usually spend our Christmas Eve eating fish and talking to our relatives. We also drink wine, red or white, depending on the situation, and we conclude our dinner eating our traditional Christmas cake, the Panettone, so called because it looks like a big leavened bread stuffed with raisins and candied fruit or with cream and chocolate. It is really delicious! At midnight, many Italians go to church to take part in the traditional Christmas Mass which is often longer than usual (it takes about one and a half hours)

Christmas Day, on the 25th of December, is a special day for everybody because at last we can open our gifts, which have been sitting temptingly under our Christmas tree for a long time. It is a feast day so we could sleep longer, but already at 8 a.m. most Italian people, especially the children, are awake, eagerly hanging around the Christmas tree impatiently waiting for all the members of the family to get up, so they can finally open their Christmas gifts. Mothers are already in the kitchen at the stove, busy preparing Christmas lunch which is always very rich and abundant.

Christmas time is a special feast in particular for small children because, according to Italian tradition, on Christmas day, they finally receive the gifts since long time desired. Santa Claus personally delivers them on Christmas morning or he enters these children’s home in the night, passing through the chimney and depositing the packages under the Christmas tree. These presents are often anticipated by some mails which children selves personally write and address to our Babbo Natale (the Italian corresponding name for Santa Claus) in Alaska, telling him how good they have been in family or with friends and asking him for the wished gift. They are so joyful when they, unwrapping their presents, realize that Babbo Natale has satisfied their wishes, that most of them don’t either want to eat to not loose time and continue playing.

As soon as the guests arrive, after having opened the latest presents, everybody sits around the big table, decorated with the traditional Christmas table-cloth (always red), Christmas red flowers and candles, and we all start eating. Christmas lunch here in Italy usually lasts three and a half hours because there are many different dishes to taste, and between courses there is always a break, when we take pictures or chat. Like on Christmas Eve, Christmas lunch also finishes with the traditional Italian Panettone and with another delicious Italian cake called TORRONE. It is a long, slim, rectangular cake made of honey, nuts or almonds, sugar and it can be either soft or hard, according to personal taste. If you try it, we can assure you that you immediately fall in love with it!

We usually spend our afternoon playing cards (special Christmas games) or playing TOMBOLA ( a sort of bingo, a traditional Christmas game). It is such fun that we often play till Midnight, without stopping for dinner (also because we are still full of Christmas lunch).

Italian Christmas Day is usually celebrated at home with your family, with relatives and friends, and only a few people decide to spend this feast on vacation, without following the traditions or eating special home-cooked food, as the old Italian saying goes: “Natale con i tuoi, tutte le altre feste con chi vuoi” (Christmas with the family, the other holidays with whomever you choose)

So how are you planning to spend your Christmas time? If you like, tell us which are the main traditions of your country on Christmas day (cooking special dishes, Christmas decorations, traditions of your family) and you will have your story published on our blog!

Merry Christmas to you all from Cristina, Giulia, Arben, Tatiana and the other members of the Gleni team!!!