Le cose belle di Natale – the beauty of Christmas

L’albero (lal-bear-o) the tree is going up and mamma is hanging those shiny balls on i rami (e rah-me) the branches. Darla and I are on the couch and we both realize at the same time that È Natale! (a nah-tal-a) It’s Christmas! We love this time of year! Both of us remember our first Christmas when we received regali (ray-gal-ee) and extra treats. Mamma and papà spend more time with us because they are not working. So, what else happens during Christmas?

ADOBE STOCK

Amici e famiglia (ah-me-chee a fa-miya) friends and family come to visitare (viz-ee-tar-a) visit and they share food and stories and abbracci (ah-bra-chee) hugs. People hang pretty colored lights outside their houses. There is one house we went to when we visited our nonni (no-knee) grandparents in Delaware that has hundreds of lights, characters from children’s movies like Winnie the Pooh and Santa and his reindeer and so much more. The children and adults were so happy to walk through and see all these decorations. Mamma told us it is something that reminds people of their infanzia (in-fahn-z-ah) childhood. We liked it too except for the ones that moved.

Maverick, Darla, and Melissa Cannavo.

Some people, like mamma, have favorite Christmas movies they watch every year. We love snuggling on the couch with mamma and papa in front of un fuoco accogliente (oon fwo-koh ah-col-yen-tay) a cozy fire.

Last year we went to see le luci di Natale (lay loo-chee d Nah-tal-a) the Christmas lights at Hershey Park. Era Bellissimo (air-ah bay-lee-see-mo) it was beautiful! Mamma told us they also have delle renne (del-lay ray-nay) some reindeer who visit the Christmas Candyland each year.

Many places have sfilate (sfee-lah-tay) parades. A Filadelfia (ah fill-ah-del-fee-ah) In Philadelphia there is a big one with singers and dancers. At the end Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive, and he walks up the many steps of the Art Museum and everyone is so happy! In smaller towns you may hear cantanti di canti natalizi (cahn-tan-tee d cahn-tee nah-tal-e-z) carolers.

In Italy they celebrate some things that people do here, but other things are different. They have many mercatini di natale (mare-kah-tee d nah-tah-lay) Christmas markets where people can go to buy gifts and eat holiday treats. This is the time of year you can enjoy caldarroste (cal-da-ro-stay) roasted chestnuts. They are sold on street corners and in the markets. Here Italians will buy new pieces for their nativity scenes and children can have fun on rides in the bigger markets. Family and friends will go out together to visit either a living nativity scene or one of the hundreds of hand crafted presepi that are across the country. They are beautiful, some are just a few pieces, but others may have over a thousand pieces that will show life as it was in other times. Mamma told us she saw one displayed in the back of an ambulance in Rome!

While children in Italy may visit Babbo Natale they still wait anxiously for La Befana to bring them gifts on January 6. We can tell you about that next month!

In the meantime, however you celebrate vi auguriamo un felice Natale (vee awe-gor-e-ah-mo oon fel-e-chay Nah-tal-a) we wish you a Merrry Christmas!