December brings.......

December in England brings us Santa Claus with all his reindeers dropping presents off to children who leave a glass of milk and a biscuit to quench his thirsty tiring work as he passes from chimney to chimney.

Oxford Street in London is full of Christmas Decorations whilst doing your last bits of shopping, and Trafalgar Square is where our Christmas Tree is placed every year by the kindness of Norway who has traditionally sent one each & every year since the second world war in gratitude for our support.

Excitement on Christmas Day 25th December as families awake & children cannot wait to open their presents, their hands are eager & it doesn’t take long to open up even the well taped parcel. Afternoon

we gather around & enjoy the traditional prepared food. With our tummies full the Christmas pudding still shows up, is set alight with brandy then eaten with either fresh cream or custard. In the evening our glasses chin-chin each other with our favourite drink, whilst enjoying roasted chestnuts, abundance of nuts, chocolate & sweet cake delights. Pure Bliss !!

Happy Christmas Everyone !!

December in Italy is a time of colder weather and Christmas markets. The biggest is at Bolzano in northern Italy where the weather is usually good but be prepared just in case.

Christmas trees are popular everywhere in Italy. In Rome the Vatican and Colosseum will put up theirs making them an even more impressive sight than normal.

Nativity cribs are also popular, appearing all over the country from the smallest village to the largest towns and cities. Built from any available materials, a real labour of love.

On Christmas Eve Babbo Natale (Santa Claus) will bring presents for the children to be opened in the morning (Christmas day). Hard to go to sleep that night as each child waits in joyful anticipation.

Christmas day is a time for feasting with pasta dishes, cooked meats, vegetables and cakes among the large amounts of food available. Luckily little is eaten on Christmas eve so everyone is ready for the days celebration without too much need for indigestion remedies. :)

Buon Natale