HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

I'm a little bit late to the party... but Christmas in Spain doesn't end until Epiphany tomorrow so I can still say:

Delightful Christmas surprise!

Yesterday the mailman rang my doorbell and delivered a lovely surprise!

Check out what was inside!!!

Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I hope you're having a wonderful Christmas! For the first time in 6 years my parents had all their daughters under the same roof at Christmas so for my family it's been very exciting!

Best wishes for the rest of the holiday season! With all the family craziness going on (my kiwi sister came with her boyfriend and one of my cousins from Virginia is here so we're going to be busy showing them around Alicante and Granada!), I'm probably going to be even more absent that usual from the blogosphere until after 12th Night! (aka Epiphany or 3 Kings Day in this part of the world!). With a bit of luck I might be able to get up a few Christmassy posts... ;o)

Happy Holidays! :o)

Wrapping up Christmas

The lights and the stockings were unstrung with care, the decorations packed away, 

and finally the figurines for both Beléns all wrapped up. 

*sigh* 

The holidays finally finished this weekend! I'll miss the ambiance, but not the over-eating! Last Friday I joined my parents on a little trip up north to Valencia to spend Three Kings Day (final day of Christmas) with my Grandmother and Aunts and cousins, and my Aunt asked my dad to make another turkey! Well in this case two small turkeys... aaaaaaaaah!!! :p

They were as usual delicious, but I'm glad we left those leftovers there. My parents still have a 3 kg turkey breast (about the size of an American football!) in the freezer and ditto a half of a 6 kg roast beef from the Christmas feasts. I'm sure I'll be called in a couple of times this week to help eat those! ;o)

But now it's back to fitting into a daily routine of preparing classes, teaching them, getting some kind of exercise, and trying to find the will to unpack those final boxes from the move plus looking for a regular job. Here's where my two "words" for 2012 come in: discipline (because I know what I have to do, just need to get my ass out of bed or away from the computer and DO IT), and letting go (because much of what is in those boxes are old papers and class notes that I don't really need but have always held on to out of nostalgia and a "what if" factor).

It's been fun sharing my Christmas with you guys and reading about yours on your blogs, let's do it again next year! :o)  And if you still want a taste of Christmas, how about a mug of glühwein?

German mulled wine / hot spiced wine, typical from the Christmas markets up north. I wrote about collecting those mugs in the markets I've visited in Belgium, Holland and Germany on my travel blog. I'd like to go visit another market next December... is it too soon to start planning a weekend getaway? ;o)

Oh! And I never got to show myself off in the red dress on New Year's! 

How do I look? I had dinner with my parents and some neighbours, then after eating my twelve grapes on the twelve strokes of midnight and drinking a bit of cava, I headed out for San Vicente (next town over) to join my friends in a night of dancing... until 6 a.m.! A pretty normal Spanish New Year's. ;o)

Ready for the Kings?

I think the biggest difference between Christmas in most Northern European / American countries and Christmas in Spain / Latin America resides in one night: Twelfth Night. Tonight. La Noche de Reyes or La Vispera de Reyes. The night before the Epiphany, the night before "Kings' Day". The night before January 6th. 

Tonight (Jan 5) and tomorrow (Jan 6) marks the end of the Christmas holidays. Tonight man families are having another Christmas dinner and exchanging gifts. Either tonight or tomorrow people will be eating a "Roscón de Reyes" (typical sweetbread, click on the name for more info) and whoever finds the bean in their slice will be crowned King or Queen. I can't find a photo of my own of a Roscón, but a quick Google image search turns up many candidates:

Tonight children all over Spain and Latin American will be putting out their shoes and hoping they've been good enough for the Three Kings to leave them a present instead of a lump of coal. This evening the Three Kings (or Three Wise Men, your preference!) have made a grand entry into many Spanish cities, either by boat, helicopter, camel, horse or on a parade float. They've paraded around the cities cheered on by the children watching them and they've handed out sweets and small toys and they've visited local hospitals giving presents to sick children there. I wrote a post two years ago about the Cabalgata de Reyes ("The Kings' Ride") here in Alicante. I didn't have time today to go see the parade, so I'll just have to refer you back to that post.

Christmas Feasting and Playing

December 28th... a day for hearing really weird things on the news... things that you should double (and triple!) check before you believe them! For example: Iker Casillas - star goalkeeper and captain of the Real Madrid and Spain's World and European Champion National Football team - announced that he was retiring from football. YIKES!!! I heard it on the radio, he announced it on his Facebook profile, it must be true! Regular news broadcast on TV at lunch time... and the sports section starts with the presentation of Spain's new Davis Cup (tennis) Captain: Alex Corretja (yay!). Not a word about football? In this country? Impossible! So what about that massive news flash I heard on the radio?! FOOLED YOU!!! 

December 28th is the Día de los Santos Inocentes in Spain. Traditionally it's the Day of the Holy Innocents in the Catholic Church, in honour of the children massacred in Bethlehem by Herod's order (with Mary, Joseph and Jesus just barely escaping to Egypt). But in Spanish an "inocente" is also what you call someone who is naive, easy to fool or trick. So this day has become the equivalent of "April Fool's Day" in Spain and Latin America! Not so much tricks as fake funny news and jokes. Or sticking a white paper doll on someone's back. In any case, don't believe anything you hear until you've verified it! :p

Today was also the 4th Day of Christmas, and in my family the 3rd day of leftovers! Or is it 4th meal? I've lost count! My Dad totally overdid it this year with the feasts... I think he's loosing his sense of proportion... Not that I'm complaining, Christmas leftovers are the best kind!

It all started on Christmas Eve with the crazy 15 kg (33lb) turkey my Dad had ordered (to be fair he asked for "at least 10kg", just got more than expected)... for 6 people! (the 2 year old doesn't eat enough to count) I think it was even bigger than my niece! But at least it gave my Dad a chance to show off his fancy new oven he's been smiling about for the past 6 months! :p

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a ¡¡¡FELIZ NAVIDAD!!! from sunny Alicante. I hope it's filled with joy and you're surrounded by your loved ones. Best wishes!

Christmas Trip Down Memory Lane: the mid '80s

I've been trying to divide up these Memory Lane posts thematically... the "just me" years, the "Saudi years", but I've found so few photos from the 4 year period in the mid-'80s (specially Xmas 86 and 87, there have to be more photos somewhere!) that it seemed a bit silly to split them up!

We start with Christmas 1984, our first back in the U.S., when we were living in Potomac, Maryland (my dad worked in D.C.), only an hour and a half away from my Grandmother in Purcelville, VA and my Uncle, Aunt and cousins in Leesburg, VA. So that means big family Christmas at last! Well, for Christmas Day -American style-, since we still had our big meal just us on Christmas Eve -Spanish style-. I think it's the first year I went carolling -around our neighbourhood, with my dad playing the guitar-

The Belén, a big Spanish Christmas tradition

Kim from Snug Harbor Bay asked me a while back about difference between Christmas in Spain and the US. Well that's a question for another post (I'm still trying to figure it out!), but decoration-wise I'd say the biggest difference lies in the holiday centrepiece in one's home: the Christmas Tree (in Anglo-Saxon/Celtic tradition), or the Belén (for the Latin community i.e. Spain, all of Latin America and I think Italy as well). You'd call it the Nativity Scene or Crèche, but that word is too small for us! Belén is the Spanish name for Bethlehem. We don't just recreate the Nativity in the Stable, we go for the whole town!!! When space allows it of course. ;o)

My mother shares memories of setting up the Belén with her Grandmother in Altea (small town up the coast). She remembers that for a long time before Christmas kids would save the silvery wrapping paper from chocolates and candies to use as part of the construction material for the Belén. And they would get bits of coal from the train tracks... Now most everything needed for the "construction" is bought in the supermarket.

When we lived in Mexico we had lots and LOTS of space to set up the Belén, now in a somewhat overstuffed apartment it can be hard to find just the right spot. This year I set it up (over at my parents') on a table under a window on the balcony, close to the tree (for extra effect with the twinkle lights!).

That table seems a bit "blah"... let's put in a background!

Christmas Trip Down Memory Lane: the early '80s

The early '80s were the "Saudi Years"... celebrating the season half a world away from family, in a place where Christmas isn't even a holiday! They were also the years during which our family kept growing, giving me two younger sisters to tease and torment (and take care of) for the rest of our lives. ;o)

So we start with Christmas 1980 in Riyadh, when I discovered that Christmas trees came out of a box and had to be assembled!

You remember that "intruder alert" I mentioned in the previous Christmas post? Well here's the result of that big "bump", another bright little redhead (who to this day still sighs whenever she sees pictures of her "Dumbo" ears!):

Christmas Trip Down Memory Lane: the '70s

Care to join me as I latch on to the Ghost of Christmas past and visit my past Christmases while I prepare for the jolly season?

Let's start at the very beginning (after all, it's a very good place to start!):

Yeah, I know... you can't see me anywhere in there, right? Well look again! But with an ultrasound this time! (it seems they were already "in the know" having recently gone to the doctor to check up on a little "constipation" problem...) ;o)  They fled north to spend the holidays with the family in Virginia, apparently fed up of the "fake Christmas trees" on the grass in Panama... :p

On to my first full Christmas experience... rocking the bell-bottoms in Virginia (visiting from Minneapolis)!

Happy Saint Nicolas!

Look what I got in the mail yesterday from a wonderful friend:

merci Kyt!!!

Yummy Belgian chocolate!!! Just in time to celebrate Saint Nicolas today! :o)

What's that? You didn't know today was Saint Nick's day? The original guy behind Santa Claus? Well, I did! You can't have lived in Belgium and NOT know it! Saint Nicolas is a very big deal for kids in Belgium, northern France, Luxemburg, the Netherlands... He comes to their house (and their grandparents' and other family members' houses) and leaves them candy and cakes and toys. It's a good thing the kids never stopped to ask why he doesn't always show up on his day (Dec. 6th, not an official holiday) but conveniently drops off his packages on the closest weekend... ;o)

La Fábrica de Sueños - Lotería de Navidad!

You know Christmas is on the way in Spain when the advertisement for the special Christmas lottery finally airs! I've seen it twice in the movie theatre so far, and it's lovely! It's a short film that metaphorically tells the tale of the Lotería de Navidad. They say the Lotería de Navidad is a "Fábrica de los Sueños" or "Dream Factory" whose doors open so that the dream-hunting children can go out and reach every city and town in Spain (or further afield since Spaniards living outside of Spain frequently have their family members send them a "décimo"). The children collect the dreams and bring them back saying that our dreams are what bring the lottery to life, a lottery which will fulfill many peoples' dreams.

I wrote in detail about Spain's famous Christmas lottery (celebrated yearly since 1812!) two years ago, if you missed it or want a refresher on an major piece of Spanish culture then you can find it here (plus Wikipedia has a great entry here). This year's film is as moving as always, with a haunting melody, but I kind of miss the bald guy from years gone by! Whenever I spotted an Observer on Fringe they always reminded me of him. ;o)

If I buy a ticket (or two) this year it will be from some non-profit association which tags on a couple of extra euros to the sales price to help with their fundraising (traditional here, we - the Biology students association - did it in University to help raise funds for our trips), like that of an animal shelter where a friend of mine volunteers or my hiking group.

December's finally here!

I smell Christmas in the air! :o)

Well, ok, maybe not really... but I want to! I want to do something to help me start feeling festive, and it's not as easy here in Alicante as it was in Belgium with all the decorations in the streets and the music and most specially the Christmas markets!!! I miss the smells, the sounds, and yes, even the chill in the morning! All signs that Christmas is fast approaching.

The signs can be found here as well, but only in the TV-ads or in the supermarkets. Those have decked out their special holiday sweets, with tables overflowing with various kinds of turrón and polvorones and mazapanes... a sugary heaven! ;o)

Turrón anyone? (read more here)

The poinsettas are also out en masse. Both in the supermarkets, street markets and plant shops... Maybe I should try and keep one alive this year? ;o)

Nochebuena - Flor de Pascua - Poinsetta - Rose de Noël... however you want to call it!

I didn't do anything Christmassy here on the Blog last year. Too busy wrapping up my classes (and playing in the snow) before leaving Belgium to spend the Holidays with my sister in New Zealand. Two years ago (so Christmas 2009) I had a "12 Days of Christmas" series up which was a lot of fun! Then in 2008 I did a series of posts on Christmas traditions that I didn't quite finish (only managed to talk about Spain's Christmas lottery, the Christmas feasts, and New Year's resolutions), so maybe I'll work a bit more on those this year? Dunno yet... I'll think of something!

I've also got to clean up / organise this apartment and pull out the Christmas decorations! And start shopping for gifts! I'm always running late on those...

How do you plan on preparing for Christmas?

Happy...

Wether you be in the snow

Or at the beach…

MERRY CHRISTMAS

to all!

May the holiday bring you much love and joy!

On the Twelfth day of Christmas

On Twelfth Night the Three Kings arrived in Alicante!

As you can see the kids were eagerly awaiting their arrival:

The Cabalgata de Reyes takes place on the evening of January 5th in just about every city and town in Spain. In some places the 3 Kings arrive by helicopter, others by boat... Here in Alicante they landed by helicopter in the bull ring and met up with a bunch of kids and then went up to the main hospital to take presents to the sick kids then headed back down for the parade which started out with a touch of Disney:

followed by dancers and of course a marching band (several of them, always present in any Alicante parade):

Guess who's next? The Virgin Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and a group of shepherds!

Guarded by a Roman century:

and then the reason all these kids are here, the 3 Kings (whose names I don't know in English, lol)!!! Distributing presents and tossing candy left and right.

Melchor:

Gaspar:

Baltasar:

It's definitely an event for the kids, but still it was quite fun! And of course, as per tradition with any local holiday in Alicante, they finished up with some fireworks down by the harbour. ;o)

Video Update on Jan 10.2010: I finally had time to weave some of my video snippets of the Parade together! It's on my new cell phone camera so although to quality is ok it's not great (first time I used it, didn't discover how to zoom until a few das later, lol!)

On the Tenth day of Christmas...

I thought of 10 New Year Resolutions!

(or at least I'm going to try to think of them as I write this! lol!)

1. Html... figure out how to do my own Blogger layouts
   
2. Act together (as in getting mine...)
   
3. PhD!!! Which means first finishing my d@£n thesis
   
4. unPack my boxes (2 years since moving back from Belgium)
   
5. mY new travel blog! trips down memory lane and new adventures
   
6. New life (post thesis), figure out what to do (teach? research? conservation? write?)
   
7. Earn a living (damn money being so necessary for life!)
   
8. Work out more and continue losing weight
   
9. sYng again once I find a decent choir around here!
   
10. Relearn how to play my flute
    

How 'bout you guys? Any special resolutions for 2010?

On the Ninth day of Christmas...

I really enjoyed my 9th Day of Christmas... but I'm having trouble relating it to the 9th Day of Christmas! :p

Let's see...

1. I caught a train to a town up the coast and walked along the sea wall.
2.  I commiserated with some friends whose house had been broken into (while they were sleeping!) and tried to think of security ideas.
3. I went for a short hike up a mountain with great views to the plains behind Barcelona (including Granollers where some of my family lives) and out to see and south towards Barcelona.
4. We climbed around some Iberian (as in pre-Roman) ruins (stone walls).
5. We visited a pound looking for a candidate guard dog for our friends (see #2) and I wished I could have taken most of the 300 inhabitants home with me!
6. We had to jump start a car, panicking 'cause we were late for a movie (to which we had already bought tickets!)
7. Saw AVATAR in 3-D for the second time (last Saturday), this time un-dubbed, enjoyed it as much (if not more!) than the first time!
8. Talked on the phone with my kiwi sister and got the scoop on what it feels like to fall out an airplane. :o)
9. .... ??? Am writing this post!

whew! There you go, 9 things I did on the 9th Day of Christmas!

Hope your first weekend of 2010 is as much fun as mine is so far! :o)

On the Eighth day of Christmas...

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!!!

I'm spending 1 day recuperating from the 7th day (or night) of Christmas! 7+1=8 ;o)

Did you eat your 12 grapes last night on the 12 strokes of midnight? We did!

And wishing my kiwi sister (in New Zealand) a Happy Birthday!!! We used to celebrate her birthday right after the twelve strokes of midnight by bringing out a candle-lit cake and then having presents. The year after while after we moved to Spain we started going out for New Year's Eve parties with our friends and then had a New Year's lunch for her birthday... which isn't always as wonderful as it sounds (in spite of the excellent food in the restaurants my dad chooses) due to getting to bed at 7-8 am after imbibing a wee bit too much bubbly and then cubatas (rhum+coke). oops! But for the past couple of years she's been enjoying the benefits of a summer birthday, lucky her! We've got a special surprise for her this year, which I won't specify yet because sometimes she comes around here to read and I don't know exactly when her boyfriend is going to spring it on her! ;o)

And if we can get tickets in a couple of hours we'll be sitting in a beautiful little Gothic church in the Barrio Gótico enjoying a Spanish classical guitar concert! Fingers crossed!


Link:

On the Seventh day of Christmas

 

I'm in Barcelona celebrating the end of 2009 and welcoming in 2010!

Hmm... I can't think of anything to do with the number 7 (to match the title)... I know! We'll be having 7 bottles with varying degrees of alcohol tonight! :p We've got 1 bottle of "fresita" which is a Chilean drink I picked up at the supermarket in Liège and is basically strawberries in chapmagne, it's for the "apéritif". Then with dinner 1 bottle of white and 2 bottles of red wine. Then two bottles of cava (Spanish champagne) for dessert and to ring in the New Year. And finally as a "digestif" a bottle of pékèt (a special drink typical from Liège) "fruits des bois" (forest fruits macerated in that gin-like alcohol) which I also brought from Liège! So that's 1+3+2+1=7! Whew! I've been having trouble with this idea of mine of getting something match the Christmas Day number! We'll see if I manage to continue pulling it off...

I wrote up a post on year-end traditions last year, those in Spain include the consumption of Cava (Spanish bubbly) and eating 12 grapes during the 12 strokes of midnight to ensure good fortune throughout the new year. My mom says that when she was a kid my uncle used to cheat by peeling the grapes during dinner and then taking the seeds out so he could eat them faster, lol! But no cheating for us (unless buying seedless grapes counts)... ;o)

I'll leave you off with a very Spanish Holiday Greeting, the Freixenet TV add. It's one of the main two brands of Cava -Spanish Bubbly-  and one of the things people look forward to during the holidays here is seeing what gorgeous new TV spot Freixenet will be doing for the holidays (since 1977, some years it has been 5 minutes long!). If anyone has read my Christmas posts from last year then you might recognise this spot. The company decided to not make a new one for this year as a sign of solidarity to the families suffering from the economic crisis (they thought it would be too ostentatious, probably as a help to their own budget as well, lol!). Anyhow, last year's was so wonderful -with our Olympic synchronised swimming medalists- that I think it's just perfect!

So have a WONDERFUL time tonight! Make sure you eat your 12 grapes in time!!! And if you're out and about, beware the nasty combo of bubbles and wheels! See you next year! ;o)

PS: I'm not sure how punctual the writing/posting of the rest of this series is going to be... I've got even more limited internet access since I'm out of town, and when I get back I'll have a friend visiting so I won't be able to hang out at my parents' using their internet as much! I'll try to prepare as much as possible in advance (the previous two posts were "scheduled" ones, I love that option!)