xmas and new years
our first christmas away from family
The holiday’s this past year were very different for me — but in a good way. I swapped my usual big family gathering, for a much smaller (but equally as chaotic) celebration with another family.
Jordan’s mom’s friend, Alexandra, invited us to her family’s Christmas Eve dinner. In Italy — and, I believe, many countries outside the U.S., UK, and Commonwealth — Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve with a big family meal, followed by opening presents at midnight. We were so grateful to be included in this tradition with Alexandra’s family. It felt like a truly immersive cultural experience, especially since most of the family spoke little to no English.
The food was absolutely incredible, though I hadn’t expected a multi-course feast (not sure why, in hindsight). The first course was octopus: octopus stew and an octopus salad that was almost like ceviche. I’d never had octopus before, but it was delicious, and I filled myself up more than I should have. Then came the second course—a shrimp and olive pasta that was equally amazing. The third course was a whole baked fish, shared between everyone at the table. Unsurprisingly, considering this was a family full of chefs, everything tasted phenomenal. I am kicking myself at the moment for not taking pictures of all of the delicious food, but I didn’t want to intrude on the meal (but now I kind of wish I did so I could show you all how good the food was).
And then came dessert—not one course, but two! The first dessert course featured candied nuts, dates, and a variety of nuts. The second course was a spread of cookies, panettone, and struffoli (tiny honey balls) alongside a larger version of the struffoli. With dessert, they brought out homemade limoncello, which was divine, much better than the batch I made last Christmas if you happened to try it. By the end of the night, I was so full I could barely move.
In fact, I was still full the next morning! I barely had an appetite at 3 PM when I finally made soup. Christmas Day was low-key since most places were closed. We spent the entire day relaxing in the Airbnb. The biggest adventure of the day was probably calling family back home to wish them a Merry Christmas.
New Year’s, on the other hand, was far from relaxed. Jordan and I spent almost the entire day of New Year’s Eve traveling. We journeyed from Rome to Paris on three separate trains, each about four hours long, with layovers in Milan and Zurich. The trip took us through the Alps, which was pretty magical.
The long day of travel was worth it. We finally arrived in Paris, and my limited French skills were immediately put to the test as we navigated the metro. After much effort (and a bit of frustration), we made it to our Airbnb around 9pm, dropped off our bags, and took a quick nap.
Refreshed and bundled up, we ventured out into the night. Every year, Paris hosts an incredible fireworks display at the Arc de Triomphe, and this year’s show didn’t disappoint. The whole time, I had an overwhelming sense of “I can’t believe this is happening, I can’t believe I am actually here right now.” One of the few times this feeling has actually taken over. Safe to say, it was a great end to a fantastic year.
After a two long days and a late night, Jordan and I rang in the new year with a much-needed sleep-in — the perfect start to 2025.
We missed you so much over Christmas and New Year. Love you so much!