Christmas Bucket List part dos

After José read my last blog about the Christmas Bucket List he pointed out that none of my plans were that ambitious, that we would quite easily accomplish all of them. Am I to take that as a challenge? If so, accepted.

Here are a few things I am adding to the bucket list:

1. Go to the "cabalgata" or parade that happens on the 6th of January in celebration of Los Reyes (the 3 wise men who brought gifts to Jesus). This is the actual day that most people exchange gifts here in Spain. Santa is getting to be a bigger phenomenon here but the Reyes are still very popular. They are the ones who children write to asking for toys. We will need to attend their annual parade where they ride on floats throughout the town tossing gifts, candy, balls, stuffed animals etc. This year I hope not to have to fight any children for what they throw our way.



2. During this holiday season will also be José and my one year wedding anniversary since we were married on December 30th of 2011 in Michigan. I would like to celebrate this day with something special. I am going to leave that idea up to José. He can get creative. Hint. Hint.

3. When the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve there is a tradition here in Spain where you have to eat 12 grapes for each time the clock sounds. This was something that I shared with the guests at my wedding last year and eating the grapes is always fun! I would add to my bucket list that I would like to do this twice. Once here in Spain and another time at 600am when it will be midnight in the United States.


4. Every year watching Christmas movies always gets me in the mood for the season. I would like to make sure that we watch some of my all-time favorites like Love Actually, A Muppet Christmas Carol, The Grinch, and Home Alone. Maybe we can do an advent calendar of holiday films or at least a 12 days of Christmas countdown.

5. Though this isn't exactly related to the holidays, I think the best gift this year would be the keys to our new apartment. I am hopeful that this will happen and that we will be able to take advantage of our time off to do some painting and moving.

Let the countdown begin!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Simple Spanish recipe: Chipirones a la plancha

Image
Ok so I know this picture is a bit blurry and I apologize but it is the final result of my having cooked chipirones a la plancha for the first time. Let me explain, chipirones are small squid and a la plancha means grilled. They are served in an olive oil, parsley and garlic sauce. At first I wasn't sold on the idea of this recipe but believe me, it is pretty awesome and super healthy. It is a really typical tapa that you can order at almost any bar here in the south of Spain. Chipirones a la plancha is usually served on a bed of lettuce or with a small side salad. Yum! Here's the how: First you need the chipirones (small squid that come with the heads and tentacles attached). I can buy them at my local grocery store in the fresh seafood section. I bought a package of 400 grams though the good thing about this recipe is that you can make as much or as little as you like. Allow me to also explain that here in Spain people tend to eat a lot more fish and seafood than...
Read more

La mesa camilla

Image
The mesa camilla is a very Spanish invention (in fact I believe it to be a very southernly Spanish invention). It consists of a table, a heater and a heavy, long tablecloth-like fabric that drapes over the sides. The idea is that you put the heater under the table and when you sit down you put the fabric over you like a blanket. The truth is that it does keep you quite warm. The downside is that once you get up and move, you lose the heat. Since the houses and apartments here in the south of Spain are not created for the cold (no central heating) a mesa camilla can be found almost every where.  We didn't have one last year and survived with blankets, space heaters and flannel pajamas throughout the winter. This year Jose decided we needed to get a mesa camilla. I fought the good fight (since often times they look very similar to the option in the picture above) but we ended up ordering one not too long ago.  Typically the mesa camilla is made of wood and can be stored ...
Read more

Spanish names

Image
Maaaaaaaria, I just met a girl named Maria Hopefully you just read that and sang the song from West Side Story in your head. Let's just say that from what I have experienced here in Spain, people really, really like this name. In fact, there are times when it seems like EVERY woman or girl is named Maria (or Maria de/l something) and though they might go by the second part of their name, their given one is still Maria. People definitely opt for traditional names here, unlike the US where names go through trends.  Recently a friend on Facebook posted a link which contained a GIF  (originally from The Atlantic)  showing the different female names that had been popular in the US since 1960. It is interesting to see how a name like Jennifer would be popular in one region and then would sweep the nation. Such a map would not be as cool here in Spain since not a whole lot would change. Maria. Maria del Carmen. Miriam. Marian. Mirian. Variations on a theme. Religious...
Read more