Christmas Done Right - Isabella Sportelli

 

Christmas - Italian Edition

This year above all others has been full of uncertainties and tragedy. I'm sure most of us would love to say, "Alexa, skip to 2021" and move on with our lives. However, 2020 is now drawing to a close with the last month of the year right around the corner. It's easy to paint a broad brush over 2020 and say it was the most depressing, dark, and dull year of our lives, but there is always some good to be found in the bad. December is typically a month many look forward to, when you put aside all of the busy shopping and last-minute errands for the holidays. After all, it is "the most wonderful time of the year," as Andy Williams would put it. It's the season of bright lights, decorations, Christmas music, and most of all, love. But with a year like this, it is within this uncertainty that so many cling to the traditions they hold dear. People need a constant to fall back on, something the holiday season can serve as. With thousands of different cultures comes thousands of different traditions. Most families have at least one tradition truly unique to them. I can't tell you about other cultures, but I can tell you how the Italians do it. 

First things first, Italians always have extremely large gatherings. This is obviously a problem for the current situation. If this were a normal year, my family usually has at least 20 people for the immediate family alone. This of course doesn't account for all of the boyfriends, girlfriends, extended grandparents, second cousins, great aunts, etc. It's not Christmas if the dining room isn't packed with family members. 

When it comes to Italians and their holidays, there are a few unspoken rules that nobody questions, but always follow. 

Number one: the food. One thing I've come to learn growing up in an Italian family is that they take their food VERY seriously. Food is the Italian forte. If you've ever noticed, professional Italian athletes are rare, food is what they're best at. Everyone always makes and brings some kind of food, never show up empty-handed. At Christmas, my Dad always makes tiramisu, an Italian coffee-flavored dessert. There is always more food than we ever know what to do with. To start off there's usually some kind of pick on whether that be a cheese platter, different kinds of bread, deli meats, and/or bruschetta. Next comes the manicotti, meatballs, sausage, meat sauce, eggplant parm, stuffed artichokes, stuffed mushrooms, prime rib, lasagna, string beans, roasted brussel sprouts, and I'm sure many more that I'm forgetting. We used to do the "Feast of the Seven Fishes" awhile back which is an Italian-American celebration of Christmas Eve with dishes of fish and other seafood. If one thing is for sure, Italians love their seafood. 

Number 2: desserts. If you thought Italians stopped at the food, you could not be more wrong. At every Christmas, there is always a full table of Italian desserts and pastries. No one ever eats them, at this point they may just be there for the tradition. All of the classic Italian-American desserts are there: the S cookie, tiramisu, the 7 layer cookie, the pizzelle, sandwich cookies, ricotta cookies, and of course, the cannoli.

I personally don't care for these, but some Italians treat them like the gospel. This isn't even the half of it. I honestly have no idea what happens to all of the leftovers every single year. However, what there is never extra of is the pudding cake and Italian cheesecake. This is not just Christmas. The Sportelli's always make sure to have these at EVERY single holiday. Once again, not desserts I care for. Every year I get asked the question "How could you not like this?" which is usually followed by, "You're not Italian enough." But what I do like are the signature crescent cookies. My Grandma used to always make these Italian crescent cookies specially for me, my favorites when I was little and still to this day. These usually have almonds in them, but she would always bring a separate batch just for me because she knew I didn't like them. Back when I was around six or seven years old, my Grandma and I made them together for Christmas. I still remember this vividly, how she helped my hands to form the dough into little crescent shapes, the warm and comforting smell of her kitchen, it's just one of those things that have stuck with me through the years. 

Number three: the unspoken dress code. Yes, there is a dress code. Coming to Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner in ripped jeans is basically a sin. You'll be sure to get hit with the, "Did you get that 50% off?" Or the, "What happened to the rest of them?" And my personal favorite from Nonna, "Do you need me to stitch those up for you?" Don't even try to wear any sort of crop top. "Where'd you get that, the kids section?" 

Number four: do not get up from the table. Once Italians sit down to eat, there is no getting back up, with the exception of the host. Italians could sit and eat all day if they wanted to. I'm not talking about one hour, I'm talking about close to four or five. The entire Christmas Eve is spent sitting at the dining room table. The only people that can get up are the ones that get up to wash dishes and help out with the food. Even after everyone is done eating, they will continue to sit and talk for hours on end. And you best believe Italians talk with their hands. It's funny when you actually sit back and take notice of all the hand motions going on around the table. 

Number five: let them talk. My Dad in particular loves to talk politics. Politics is a topic that can never seem to be avoided at holidays, something I'm sure many can relate to, not just Italians. Even though the entire family has the same political views, they still manage to find things to argue about. It's an inevitable conversation that you can always count on coming up at least once. 

Number six: music. Italian music is a staple in our household. Before Apple music, my Dad had all the CDs and would play them all the time for me from the time I was a newborn. To this day, the playlist hasn't changed. It's a compilation of all the classics: Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Louis Prima, Al Martino, Andrea Bocelli, etc. I don't even speak Italian and I could recite all of the words off the top of my head. These are always played in the background of family get-togethers. 

All in all, this is just a short list of some of the things that make my family unique. This year, there will most likely be no big get together and as a result, Christmas will definitely not be the same. All things aside, I love my Italian family and wouldn't trade them for the world.