How is your Xmas going to be ?

[astra]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

One advantage we have...

No inlaws (on both sides) to visit. One side lives 2500km away, the other 1500 (but they'll be going to the toes of Italy, so that'll add a few more km)

Our current plan is to lock all the doors and just vegetate in front of the TV

Sounds fantastic
No laws/in-laws for Xmas/NY. As little as possible outsiders. Only us us us

[aceflor]

I love Xmas, because it is one week after my birthday and it has always been a special time. As a kid, being all excited about the presents I was going to get, as a Mom now, being all excited about the presents I am going to give, but also as an adult, being all excited about the nice stressfree time we are going to have as a family.
We stop the clocks at 8pm on Xmas eve, and do not look at our watches again until January 6th (we don't care much about New Year), when the Reyes will come. In the middle, we play, read, listen to music, have long walks, and just enjoy each other, so for me, it is indeed a very special time in the year.
Plus I love the decorations, because more often than not, we spent here Xmas (at least during day time) in T Shirts and but they overdecorate each street so it is lovely to stroll around and wonder at the artist who puts it all together.

[dreams]

Originally Posted by aceflor

<snip>
We stop the clocks at 8pm on Xmas eve, and do not look at our watches again until January 6th (we don't care much about New Year), when the Reyes will come. In the middle, we play, read, listen to music, have long walks, and just enjoy each other, so for me, it is indeed a very special time in the year.

What a wonderful thing to do and to have so much time to enjoy family.
Is this a tradition and everyone does this? Does no one work at this time?

Plus I love the decorations, because more often than not, we spent here Xmas (at least during day time) in T Shirts and but they overdecorate each street so it is lovely to stroll around and wonder at the artist who puts it all together.

What types of decorations are there?

[aceflor]

No, it is not a tradition to completely close in Spain, we are just very lucky that we can do this. We own our company and since our customers (our business is solely BtoB) close over Xmas, so do we. It is the only time in the year when we are closed.

But in general, Navidad is a huge thing here. The decorations are mainly lights, but in a very overboard way, which I personally love. They look fantastic, and stay on until the Reyes come, which is January 6th.

[astra]

Originally Posted by aceflor

We stop the clocks at 8pm on Xmas eve, and do not look at our watches again until January 6th (we don't care much about New Year), when the Reyes will come. In the middle, we play, read, listen to music, have long walks, and just enjoy each other, so for me, it is indeed a very special time in the year.

Sounds like a perfect holiday. The way you telling about it generates waves of warmth

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by aceflor

No, it is not a tradition to completely close in Spain, we are just very lucky that we can do this. We own our company and since our customers (our business is solely BtoB) close over Xmas, so do we. It is the only time in the year when we are closed.

But in general, Navidad is a huge thing here. The decorations are mainly lights, but in a very overboard way, which I personally love. They look fantastic, and stay on until the Reyes come, which is January 6th.

Ah, the three kings! I already wondered what the Reyes were

[dreams]

Originally Posted by aceflor

No, it is not a tradition to completely close in Spain, we are just very lucky that we can do this. We own our company and since our customers (our business is solely BtoB) close over Xmas, so do we. It is the only time in the year when we are closed.

But in general, Navidad is a huge thing here. The decorations are mainly lights, but in a very overboard way, which I personally love. They look fantastic, and stay on until the Reyes come, which is January 6th.

I can see why you look forward to it and truly enjoy that time of year. I enjoy a "Winter Wonderland" look of Christmas with lots of glowing lights.

We use to celebrate on January 6th with small gifts and a mid-day meal. Then the family would remove the decorations and pack them away for the next year. Now our main celebration is Nochebuena and Christmas Day, but we still get together for a meal and to take down the decorations before the day of the 6th is over. Yum, I can't wait for polvorones.