As the holidays approached, I found my self getting more and more homesick each day. Who would have thought? They say there is no place like home for the holidays. While, I was very far away from mine, I did get to experience what Christmas was like in the homes of others. Just like my family and all of us in the States, Italians have there own Holiday traditions. One of these is the construction an elaborate Nativity Scene that they build of literally the whole town of Bethlehem.
I spent the first part of the Christmas holidays in Napoli (Naples) where we celebrated with Alberto's family. We stayed at Lilli's parent's apartment because they were in Rome.
This is the view of the Mediterranean Sea from the window of my bedroom. It was Lilli's room when she was growing up.
Kind of awesome.
Alberto's family have their big Christmas meal on Christmas Eve, and it involves sea food...lots and lots of seafood. I don't like seafood. There was shrimp salad, squid, octopus, tuna mousse, and thankfully regular pasta so I could at least eat something.
But, before we ate, we had to wait for Babo Natale to arrive. In case you have not heard of him before, he is simply the Italian Santa Claus. He came and brought everyone there gifts. Then, while we were eating, the youngest child in the family (who can talk) recites a poem that they memorized for Christmas.
The next morning, we got up and hurried back to Rome to celebrate Christmas with Lilli's family. We had a great Christmas lunch and then opened presents! I even got to skype with my family back in GA and we opened our stockings together!
Christmas here was a lot less stressful because Lilli's family is much smaller than Alberto's.
I got some really great things from my Italian family including tickets to see Madame Butterfly at the Opera House in Rome! I am super excited!!
Overall, Christmas was fine, but as we were driving back from Rome and I was reading and listening to Behold the Lamb Of God (this CD Christmas is now a staple for me, and the book is excellent as well), I was struck with how devoid of Christ Christmas is in Italy. Though they build these huge nativity scenes and they celebrate the Buon Natale or good birth, no one focuses on Jesus. I don't know why this surprised me since Italy is pretty much devoid of religion, but it did. There was no mention of the star shining in the sky, the young mother and her husband on their way to Bethlehem trying to find a room in the crowded city, or the scared shepherds keeping watch over there flocks. There was not any mention of the tiny baby born in a manger, the incarnate son of God come to take away the sins of the world. No one even suggested attending a Christmas mass. Apparently, in Italy, unlike in the US, there are not Christmas and Easter Christians. Christmas is just completely secularized, and well I guess I will find out what happens on Easter.
Needless to say, I was thankful that I had those two short hours in the car where I could at least remember why I was celebrating.
And as our celebrations come to an end, remember Italy. At Christmas we celebrate that nations who have long walked in darkness have beheld a glorious light, the light of Christ, the Wonderful Counselor, the Might God and Everlasting Father coming to earth. Italy needs this light, it is very dark here, and this has never been more clear to me than it was this Christmas.
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