Serene days

The holy season has just started and it's an explosion of beautiful lights everywhere. During the recent years, or more precisely since Alice is alert and vivid about the preparations and understands them better, I've started to enjoy the Christmas excitment. Before (BC = Before Child for me), it was a gross vortex of useless and emtpy family gatherings that didn't add anything to my personal growth, as the fakeness was so evident that it could be cut in two with a knife.

It's all so different now, with my own family to nurture and our cozy home and honest feelings. What is genuine will remain in our hearts for ever, and we decided to celebrate with style with a little trip this year too. Nobody can't destroy what is ours, at least.

In the meanwhile, we try to enjoy the colorful atmosphere out as much as we can. At home we're all set with decorations. This year we have a creative nativity. It grows with Alice's abilities to decorate it, that was the plan. We started from when she was 3 and the things we add are parallel to her imagination and manuality. This little girl of mine never ceases to surprise me for her invetivness. I hope she'll remain like this for the rest of her life. I'm sure she'll be a special adult, maybe too sensitive and educated for this world, but still special.

Closer and better pics soon.

We also have a Christmas tree, of course. This is something Alice does with her dad. I supervise the operations by taking pics and giving easthetical advice. Not that they need them LOL but really, usually my role is relative to music, photos, general coordination and the boring part in the end: cleaning. 

The first real celebration we had was on Saint Nicholas, December 6. This is unsual or better, it was unusual until we arrived here. In other parts of Italy we celebrate La Befana, the good witch who brings gifts after Santa on Epiphany Day, on January 6. When in Rome, do like the Romans they say, right? So our child gets 3 gifts (and more), the one from Santa included. This is one of the privileges of being a modern migrant, I suppose. 

6 am and up to unwrap what Saint Nicholas left

Life is made of all those little pleasures that count for you and for you only. I'm looking forward to living what this season brings next. I'm all ready like I never was before and this makes me optimist after all the dark Christmases of the past!