Christmas Letter

Dear friend,

at this time of the year everyone is wishing everyone Merry Christmas and a Happy New year and of course ILC would like to do same, but when I make my wishes to people from other culture I wonder how they celebrate Christmas. I guess you are wondering the same thing too.

“What is it like to celebrate Christmas in Italy?”

Christmas in Italy is very family oriented. I can say something more specific about tradition in Sicily the region where I was born. In my childhood home, as in most homes in Sicily in those days, moms and dads had clearly defined roles that were hardly interchangeable. Mom took care of the household chores and was the constant point of reference for the family, while dad, busy with work outside the house, was generally not involved in mom’s activities.

However, come Christmas, dad did something unusual that caught us, the children, by surprise. Not only would he, like many other dads in the region, make the act of table-setting a special occasion, the end result was a Christmas table that featured a spectacular traditional three circles. The first was a circle of home-made bread pieces; the second was of fresh fruits of the season: tangerines, oranges, apples, and the innermost circle was filled with almonds, dried figs and everything he could get hold of from grandma and grandpa’s garden. The colours meant warmth, passion and love; the symbols of what he felt for his family and what better time to show it?

Each year, I relive the magic of my childhood Christmas experience with father’s spectacular festive table decoration. My children are never too old for these rituals. By helping them relive their childhood traditions as well, the Christmas magic comes flooding back and on to their children.

ILC has kept a package on display on the ceppo (the Italian version of the Christmas tree) filled with dreams, waiting for you to come and unwrap it, and turn it into your very own bespoke Italian Experience. And come this time next year, you and your family will be experiencing a personalised journey toward a new Christmas tradition with your unique Exclusive Italian Experience.

Arrivederci….with my very best wishes for a pleasant Merry Christmas this year and a happy 2017!