For those of you wondering what a person who is 9212 kilometers (rough guess) from his home does on Christmas, let me tell you.
(I will have to do this with words alone too because it looks like my trusty G9 has died and I haven't bought a new camera yet. Before doing that I am hoping to find a Christmas miracle online that will tell me how to cure the gremlins in the camera. Fingers crossed.)
My celebration of Christmas actually began on Christmas Eve. Doesn't it always? I went to a dinner last night with a friend from work, Fabrizio, and his wife Daniela. I was joining a group of families that has been getting together for years. Dinner was in Falconara, a city on the coast about 12 kilometers to the north, at the house of one of the families. Rarely do you get a chance to see into the future but that's what this evening was. All of the adults have known each other for years, since the kids were toddlers. Now the kids are all grown and they are still getting together. I had to think this is what it will be like for us as all the kids grow from ankle biters into waist biters and finally into car thieves and high school drop outs.
For dinner, they did this really weird thing where everyone brought food to share with everyone else. Great concept. I think I'll bring it back with me. I just brought a bottle of booze which was warmly received. Dinner was a four course affair. There was a long table down the center of the room with a make-shift bar set-up in the center. The table would be loaded down for each course, the food eaten and cleared and then the next course laid down. We had antipasti and then a primi of pasta (5 kinds!) and then secondo of stewed fish with potatoes and then dolce with cake, nuts, fruit, dates and lots of wine and sparkling wine to wash it all down.
Right around midnight a bunch of people walked to one of the local churches for mass and I decided to join them. It was nice to be in church surrounded with people even though I didn't understand much of the service. I spent some of the time thinking about the Christmas Pageant I used to go to with Eric, Jenn, Morgan and Luke. It's just not the same when there aren't a bunch of little kids dressed as Mary, Joseph and other barn animals. Back to the present, I've been to enough masses though that I could follow along. After the service, we walked back to the house a little after 1am, had a coffee and apperitivo and some more dessert and then everyone headed home. I went to bed around 3am I think.
On Christmas, that's today, I got up around 11:30. It's 20 degrees (mid 70s) which is bizarre especially since it snowed last weekend. No one is in the apartment so I am alone which is nice. I have the bells from all the churches for company though. They keep ringing and ringing. A friend (her name starts with a P and it rhymes with Midgeon) sent me a big package which I have left unopened for about a week. Finally get to give into the temptation. After dinner tonight I'll join some friends and that will just about wrap-up the day.
I hope wherever you are and whatever you're doing that you all have a wonderful and happy Christmas. I'll miss the lobsters Matt and Inga, but I will probably sleep better not hearing their screams.
Auguri!
I wonder what Eric is doing right now?
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