An Italo-German-British Christmas

One of the problems of international families, in addition to the obvious one of living in different countries, is combining national and family traditions, for example at Christmas. 

In our case one of the main dilemmas is establishing when Christmas actually begins and when is it appropriate to wish someone a Happy Christmas?

These may seem like simple questions, but after years of discussion we're still nowhere near finding an answer that satisfies us all.

The German side of the family believes that Christmas begins at some point on the afternoon/evening of the 24th of December. It's not clear when exactly, but over the years I have learnt not to wait until the 25th to wish my husband a Merry Christmas. The answer would be: "That was yesterday".

While the Italian and British sides of the family also celebrate Christmas Eve (on the 24th), their Christmas is actually on the 25th.

The other problem is deciding when to exchange gifts and who brings the gifts.

Is it Nikolaus, is it the Christkind, is it Father Christmas, is it Babbo Natale, or perhaps the Befana?

I've managed to convince my husband that opening the presents on the morning of the 25th makes more sense than on the evening of the 24th, especially if you're four years old and get very excited about Christmas. I'm not sure that my mother-in-law was persuaded though... I noticed that she didn't put any presents under the tree.

On the positive side, we did have a rather large variety of Christmas desserts: Italian Panettone, German Stollen and British Mince Pies, Christmas Cake and Christmas pudding. 

By the time we got to the 26th of December (Boxing Day in the UK or Santo Stefano in Italy), I thought it was safe to say that Christmas was over. But, no I was wrong, the German side was quick to point out that the 26th is called the second day of Christmas in Germany. But wasn't Christmas on the 24th? Oh well we've got another 360 days or so to work that out. Until then Happy New Year! Buon Anno! Frohes Neues Jahr!

There is only one response

I was at home in Berlin yesterday evening. My son hadn't been feeling well all day and I'd just finished putting him to bed. I finally sat down to check my emails: one from Amnesty International about the evacuation of East Aleppo caught my attention. So I turned on Twitter to send a tweet about Aleppo and I happened to notice a tweet about a truck seen driving into a Christmas market by the Gedächtniskirche, the memorial church in the centre of West Berlin.

My first reaction was: "It must have been an accident". I couldn't believe in an attack, but as more news emerged and the WhatsApp messages from anxious friends and family arrived, the reality started to sink in.

After the recent attacks in Paris, Brussels, Nice, etc. an attack in Berlin wasn't totally unexpected. Nevertheless, it was shocking and I'm still struggling to believe it really happened.

Berlin is a welcoming and tolerant city. It's the city of artists, free thinkers, LGBTQ+, liberals... everyone is accepted in Berlin. I've never felt like a foreigner since I moved here. As far as I can tell, it's trying its best to be a welcoming city for refugees. I know so many people who help or have helped in refugee centres here. 

So the day after this awful, cowardly, horrific act there is only one possible response: Berlin must remain a free, welcoming and tolerant city. It must remain a haven for artists, free thinkers, LGBTQ+, liberals, refugees. Those who have criticised Angela Merkel for welcoming refugees in Germany and who are blaming her for this vile attack should be ashamed of themselves.

Today we are all Berlin.

Advent - Berlin style

Advent in Germany is a special time. 

It's the time of the year for lighting candles on the Adventskranz (advent wreath), for baking Plätzchen (cookies), for drinking Glühwein (mulled wine) and heading to the Weihnachstmarkt (Christmas market).

If you're looking for traditional-style Christmas markets in Berlin, the ones at Gendarmenmarkt and Schloss Charlottenburg are worth seeing.

However, if you're looking for a more "Berlin" experience then head to one of the alternative Christmas markets. Always hosted in amazing locations, with tasty quality street food (pulled pork anyone?) and DJs, you'll find lots of original gifts: pictures, clothes, jewellery, handbags, lampshades, works of art (and much more) made by local designers and often sold at bargain prices. Don't expect pretty candles, traditional Christmas decorations, felt hats, Christmas carols, Bratwurst, Kartoffelpuffer (fried potato cakes) and the Christmas traditional market fare. 

Holy Shit Shopping - for one weekend only (3rd-4th December), but if you missed the one in Berlin you could still try Stuttgart or Hamburg. The location for this well-established indoor designer market this year was the former power station Kraftwerk Berlin.  

Weihnachtsrodeo - on the weekends of 10th-11th & 17th-18th December. The location this year is Postbahnhof am Ostbahnhof. Expect plenty of designer stalls, yummy street food, hip music and of course hipsters.

Holy Heimat - open from Thursday to Sunday during the entire advent season, this alternative Christmas market offers both indoor and outdoor attractions. 
The location is Haubentaucher (RAW Gelände) in Friedrichshain. As well as street food and designer pieces, there is also an ice skating rink, kid's wonderland and live music.  

For a non-shopping experience, head to the Christmas Garden Berlin at the Botanical Garden in Steglitz between 5 pm and 10 pm for a magical after-dark walk in a beautifully lit park. There is also an ice-skating rink.

Whatever you do, avoid Alexanderplatz at all costs. It's a tourist trap and possibly the ugliest place in Berlin.

The Italian Referendum

The year 2016 will be marked by three important referendums. First there was Brexit in the UK, then there was the Colombian referendum (in which voters rejected a peace deal with the Farc) and now it's the turn of the Italian referendum.

On Sunday 4th of December millions of Italians will be called to the polls to vote yes or no. The question: do you approve the following changes to the constitution - overcoming perfect bicameralism, reducing the number of MPs, reducing costs, eliminating a public entity and modifying the section concerning regions, provinces and municipalities? 
I'm not going to go into the technical details, as it's all rather complicated unless you're a constitutional expert. I also won't say which way I voted (as an Italian abroad I've already voted by post).

What troubles me is the meaning that has been attributed to this referendum and the stakes involved.

This was (and supposedly still is) a referendum about whether to change the Italian constitution. On the one hand, the yes camp argue that these changes are necessary and that they will lead to real progress. On the other hand, the no camp argue that the constitution is not the problem and that the proposed new text is confusing and badly written.

However, this referendum is being seen by many as a test for prime minister Renzi's government. It is also seen in the context of a growing anti-establishment trend, which started with Brexit and was reinforced by the election of Donald Trump in the US presidential election. All sorts of doomsday scenarios are being painted: a no vote could destabilise the country's economy, spark another banking crisis and eventually threaten the survival of the Eurozone. 

Of course, Renzi is partly to blame for this. Like Cameron with Brexit, Renzi turned the referendum into a personal matter when he announced that he would stand down if yes did not win. He later seemed to realise his mistake and backtracked, only to change his mind again: if no wins, he will resign - or so he says. Unlike other politicians, Italian politicians have a history of holding onto power till the bitter end.

According to the Financial Times, a no vote could lead to Italy leaving the euro and to the failure of up to eight Italian banks.

The Economist, meanwhile, is sending slightly mixed messages, with one article titled "Why Italy should vote no in its referendum. The country needs far-reaching reforms, just not the ones on offer". In another article the Economist warns that "the risk ((of a no vote)) is not so much instability as immobility: that months, even years, will be spent on yet more wrangling over the mechanics of politics and that Italy will not get the reforms it needs".   

German finance ministre Schaueble hopes that Renzi will be successful and said that he would vote for him. The point, however, is that this is not a vote for or against Renzi.

Whatever the press and the politicians may say, however catastrophic the consequences may or may not be, the yes or no vote is not a judgement on the government and it is not about whether to leave the EU or the Eurozone. This is a referendum about the constitution. Nobody really knows what will happen. If no wins, as the polls predict, the consequences may not be as dramatic as some suggest. To cite the Economist again: "If, though, a lost referendum really were to trigger the collapse of the euro, then it would be a sign that the single currency was so fragile that its destruction was only a matter of time".