This is the way we wish Happy Holidays at my Home Country.

It is not because it is politically correct, it is in fact the way we greet each other from December 1st until January 6th.

According to portuguese tradition, we put up our Christmas Tree not before December 1st and never take it down before Janyary 6th, the Kings Day.

Presents and cards are exchanged during this period and , if you would like to have a prosperous year, your table will be set from Christmas Eve until January 6th, as a welcome sign to all that paid a visit to you.

The close family exchange gifts Christmas Eve, late after midnight or early on Christmas Day and, when I was a child, it was Baby Jesus, not Santa Claus, that would bring you the presents. I still remember to tell Baby Jesus what I wanted for Christmas after my night prayer before I would go to bed. I know that things are a little different now, and it is Santa that brings the presents.

I have good memories from Christmas Eve: Christmas Eve dinner is a huge celebration and depending on which part of the country you are there will be a different dinner. My house would be a mixture of Lisboa traditions (where we actually lived) from Trás-os-Montes (from where my mother, aunt and granny were), from Porto (where my Dad was born) and Leiria (where my Dad’s family was from). So our Christmas Eve supper would be boiled cod fish with boiled potatoes and boiled collard greens and Aletria as dessert.

After dinner, I would go to the church with my aunt to the Midnight Mass or as it is called Missa do Galo (Rooster’s mass).

My grandmother would stay home preparing the late meal with hot chocolate or tea and some Rabanadas and Orelhas de Abade, Sonhos or Bolinhos de Jerimú.

We also had Coscororões, which were made by our neighbors, and were brought during the afternoon. Of course that we would prepare a dessert for them to take home as well. This way, we would share the Christmas meal without actually being there.

Christmas morning would be a noisy, busy morning: between open more presents, going to the church and preparing Christmas lunch. And welcoming the close friends that would come to eat lunch and celebrate Christmas Day with us.

That was how I learned that gifts are Love being expressed in a different way and that does not mean expensive random things. Gifts are a way to be present and saying “you are important to me”, “you are loved”, ” I am thinking of you”…Can be food that you share, cards that you write, a silly surprise, a handmade something or just showing up with a smile and open arms to give hugs.

A week later we celebrate the New Year, and these celebrations will end on January 6th with Kings Day, when we eat King Cake and people would go around singing songs, As Janeiras.

I do miss those days with simple things and Love all around…

Somehow, it seems that lately, we have lost our way to Love…

I wish you abundance of simple things, abundance of hugs, abundance of shared meals, abundance of time to spend with loved ones, abundance of smiles.

I wish you find your way back to Love!

I wish you Happy Holidays!