Christmas Traditions

One of my favorite things about Christmas is the tradition my mom started several years ago. The tradition is that we do something different every year. We've never done Chanukah or Kwanzaa, but every year we choose a different country and we decorate the house with the decorations of that country, we prepare native foods, and we find a couple of Christmas traditions from that country and participate in that. We've celebrated in several country's ways...probably the most memorable have been Sweden and Mexico.

This year, I am SUPER excited because my brother and his girlfriend chose this year's country: Italy. Italy is very special to our family. My maternal grandfather was born in Udine--way up in the northeastern part of the boot. We have many family recipes that were passed down, and we enjoy cooking and eating them on a regular basis. I think all of us would love to go and see where my grandfather grew up, and experience the culture there.

ANYWAY, my mom and I did a lot of research about decorations, food, and traditions, and I must say...the house looks BEAUTIFUL. There is meaning in each and every detail. The tree is decorated with silver and white ornaments that belonged to my grandmother.

The Tree

We put together a ceppo (pronounced: chep-po--the Italian version of a Christmas tree), and it turned out great! The bottom shelf is the nativity (which belonged to my grandparents), symbolizing the Gifts of God. The middle shelf is a bowl of fruits and vegetables, symbolizing the Gifts of the Earth. The top shelf has small wrapped gifts, symbolizing the Gifts of Man. And finally, the star on the very top represents the Star of Bethlehem.

Our Ceppo

We learned about La Befana, the old witch, who comes to the homes of Italy, instead of Santa Claus. The legend of La Befana says that the three wise men came to her home asking her where to find the Christ child. They invited her to go along with them to find Him, but she was too busy cleaning her home and did not go. Since then, she roams the Earth on Christmas Eve, in search of the Baby Jesus, and leaves gifts for the children.

Another fun tradition we are going to do this year is the "Urn of Fate". It's an urn filled with small, wrapped gifts that have meaning for the coming year. It's just for fun...there's no religious significance or seriousness to it at all.

And the food will be delicious. Trust me. With all of the great cooks that will be under one roof, none of us will go hungry or lose weight. More coming soon...especially pictures of my darling girls.