Christmas With My Italian Grandmother
Like many families, mine usually switched off celebrating Christmas between each side of our family. As a child, I felt I had the best of both worlds - My mom's side of the family is Hispanic, and my dad's mother is Italian. Flooring Direct Temecula is taking some time to share Christmas memories this month, so here's a few of the ways my Italian grandma made our Christmas celebrations unlike any other.
1. La Pasta!
It's no coincidence that food is the first thing mentioned on our list! Any Italian will tell you that food acts as a powerful unifying force for all of our holiday gatherings, and that's why my grandma would begin prepping a full week before our Christmas feast! For Christmas in particular, she always prepared a few pasta dishes along side something slightly more traditional, like a ham or turkey. Whether it was lasagna, Spaghetti, or Rigatoni, the presence of pasta and homemade marinara was always a present homage to our Italian culture.
Other classics my grandma would make on Christmas included her famous "Wedding Soup"(which was usually served before the main course) and her perfectly-executed "Eggplant Parmigiana".
2. Dolci!
I don't know how other Italian grandmothers do it, but my grandma put out all sorts of sweets to nibble on, well before we ate our meal! Whether it was the various glass dishes she had filled with old-school candies, or her platters of homemade Italian cookies, it seemed the house was filled with treats the whole day. Since becoming a mom myself, I've tried to replicate my Grandma's recipes, and while mine will never be as good as hers, here's a wedding cookie recipe that seems to get close to the ones she would make. Wedding Cookies!
3. Poker and Bingo!
Again, I'm not entirely sure if this is a distinctively Italian tradition, but my Grandma NEVER ended a Christmas celebration without a little Bingo or Poker at the end of the evening! Of course, we only played with nickels and dimes, but no child was too young to participate, as long as they played some of that brave Italian spirit my Grandma always exuded!
4. Vino!
You probably guessed this one, but truly, no Italian Christmas was successful unless the glasses were filled and refilledwith wine throughout the celebration. Perhaps this is why there's always food around from the beginning of the day... After all, no one should drink on an empty stomach, right?
My Dad told me that my grandma always left out an "Italian Hot Toddy" to go with the cookies her kids put out for Santa on Christmas Eve.
Here's a recipie for one of those if you're looking to score points with St. Nick! Italian Hot Toddy!
Thank you for following Flooring Direct Temecula this month as we've been taking some time to reflect on our Christmas Traditions. This is, after all, a family business and we're glad to share some of our family with yours. Let us know the ways your family has incorporated unique traditions that reflect your heritage and values! Merry Christmas or should we say, Buon Natale!
By Dawnielle Carr