Christmas Day: 25th Dicembre 2014

I woke up quite tired on Christmas morning - I had had a late night on Christmas Eve.

I spent the morning in a tracksuit wrapping presents, folding washing, regular things. At a quarter-to 11, I got dressed for Christmas lunch and at half-past we left for Giuliana's sister's house in Conselve, a town of about 10,000 20 kilometres south of Padova.

We were the first guests there, and we sat and talked. After everyone else arrived - 10 in total- we began the main task of the day: eating.

The anti-pasti were prawns in puff pastry, smoked salmon on toast and radicchio wrapped in Parma ham. Next was the pasta, agnolotti filled with truffle, with a butter and sage sauce. It was very nice. I have never had truffle before, but I found them to have a very interesting flavour, and I am very fond of the butter and sage.

Then there was slow-baked veal with gravy, and pureed/mashed potatoes, and radicchio. They were all nice.

After the meal, we opened presents. Anna, Giuliana's 8 year-old niece, would deliver the gifts to the recipients sitting around the table, and would quite often assist with the unpackaging. The tea-towels and caps were success, and sparked a conversation about wombats. How do you describe a wombat? I said it was halfway between a koala and a rabbit, but bigger, like a pig. I don't think it is very accurate, and I think it would be fun if you would comment how you would describe a wombat, or any other unique Australian animal, for that matter.

Then dessert began. Many of you would know that I enjoy sweets. The first tray to circumnavigate the table was pinapple, cut into slices and dusted with icing sugar. It was divine, though perhaps a little unnecessary. As I have told myself many times over the past few days, however, "Oh well - It's Christmas."

Next was the panetone. For those who haven't eaten one, it is a very bready cake, with dried fruit. Originally from Milan, it is traditionally eaten only in Dicembre and early Gennaio. It was good, as were the fancy biscuits and chocolates. "Oh well - It's Christmas."

Most of the guests then went home, but Giuliana and I stayed so that she could help Luciano, her brother in law, clear Luca's old mobile phone. While I was waiting I read the short-story "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", one that I found quite interesting.

Then we went home and I gave Giuliana her present. I think she liked the coasters. She then went to visit her sister Nirvana, who didn't host Christmas, to check something, and I stayed home and watched "Willy Wonka e la fabbrica di cioccolato." It was quite funny how the spoken words were dubbed in Italian but the songs were sung, in English, as in the original, by someone with a completely different voice.

Giuliana came home, and I went to bed.
That was Christmas.
And because I think you like it when I include a photo, here is the Christmas tree at Luisa, Luciano, Elisa and Luca's house, where we spent Christmas day. I will have to put it up later though.