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DJP

Question for all you seasoned travellers to Spain.
Is Christmas the same over there as over here? I am not talking about weather. Is it as commercialised as UK with all the shops, towns full of people looking for bargains? Are the supermarkets full of people on the week/weeks upto Christmas with people thinking the end of the world is nigh and the shops may run out of food, so they have to buy, buy, buy just in case they cannot manage for 1 day without the supermarket.
Am I going to find it more relaxing over there than over here next year. I hate queues Mad

Ba humbug

hogan

No problem with panic buying and xmas decorations up in oct.The Spanish do not realy celebrate xmas like we do but they do celebrate the three kings I think it is on Jan 5 ish so come on down and relax.By the way I am in Gosport with the motorhome having Xmas with my daughter this year and it is just mad here ,

DJP

gandj

Come on down. One of the best things about overwintering in Spain is getting away from the tacky, stuff it down your throat consumerism of a UK Xmas. We are on the Atlantic coast. I can imagine that on the Med coast, where there are more ex pats, there is more overt Xmas nonsense. I've even heard of people trying to buy brussels sprouts.
As said above, the 3 Kings is more celebrated (Jan 6) but it is done with much better taste. There are street decorations, but the supermarkets are not taken over. However, over just the last 4 years I haev noticed an increase of the X presence - the Spanish are aping the northern Europeans gradually - and we are aping the US, of course.
All abit silly when you know that very few of us actually believe for a moment that a baby Jesus was conceived miraculously as part of some predetermined plan of some supernatural deity, etc etc. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could just leave Xmas to those few who actually believe it all? I'm sure they would treat it with more dignity - they cannot enjoy seeing what the consumerism has done to it.

Graham

julie798

If you want to celebrate in Spain, the celebrations start on the evening of the 5th, the 3 kings arrive, people have a midnight meal and the children get there presents (at midnight) then the 6th is a holiday and everything is closed, the spanish don't have boxing day, it is a normal day with all shops etc open, if you are in a city with a port anywere, the 3 kings usually arrive by boat for the procession and it is nice to see, although all the small villages will also have a parade around the village.

Feliz navidad a todos

teemyob

Hello Dennis,

Christmas in Spain is very different and as the others have said, they celebrate Three Kings. I was in Salobrena a couple of years ago at Christmas and there was no rush.

We are off to Norway Soon, again there the Christmas and new year is a whole different celebration.

Same with places we have been to in France.

My wife is working over Christmas. She decided to take advantage of Tesco opening at 1 minute past midnight (Sunday morning). There was a traffic jam leading into the carpark from the motorway. It took her 40 minutes to shop for what she needed and 40 mins to queue to pay for it. NEVER AGAIN she said. One of our Daughter's works at the store. She said the Police had to be called at 3am, fighting shoppers!.

I see the sales are already being advertised, earlier than last year along with holidays. MADNESS. Nintendo Wii's selling on ebay for £100 more than the RRP from sellers who bought them in numbers. Is that Greed or business?.

I am hoping to go away early again next year, spend less money and more time with family.

Happy Christmas and all the very best for the New Year,
Trev.

C7KEN

There is nothing wrong with buying brussel sprouts at christmas. We are brits who live here in Spain. Yesterday I walked the dog on the sand dunes at torrevieja and thought I was in paradise. The clean beach. the sun. the blue ocean. "superb." I will possibly do this again later and walk off the christmas dinner inluding of course the brussels. We have lived in far away places including La Hoya in southern california (paradise) and frankly yeterday on the beach I felt as if I was back there. This is not a bad place to live

greenasthegrass · NE Rally Co-ordinator

We are intending going to Spain for christmas and NY next year when we have a bit more experience nearer home. All these posts makes me want to go now! We'll do London instead this weekend. Just packing van up am all excited must be Christmas Day again for adults! Laughing

We don't do Christmas for religious reasons and my children miss nothing it will be nice not having it force fed - must admit we do get caught up in it a bit and find ourselves having a panic about buying nothing.

We are hoping to take the dogs with us and plan a trip to Vets asap in Jan for the dreaded passports.

Looking at weather on BBC Javea is looking mighty fine may need an indepth discussion with Javea as to hows, whats and whens - later.

Happy Holidays/Christmas whatever you celebrate.

Greenie

eddied

We celebrate Christmas, and New year, and the Befana, or Epiphany, or 3 Kings or whatever you want to call 12th. night.
A gorgeous festival of consumerism, and gifts, and overeating and drinking, and happy screaming grandchildren :
August 15th. 2007, Donna C begins to prepare Christmas pudding anglo-italian style, with the aid of a 1956 Be-Ro Flour recipe book, plus a good measure of her own secret ingedients and Vecchia Romagna brandy.
December 20th. Donna C and her sister raid local country butcher for meat for Christmas, i.e. 2 car loads of suasages, and mincemeat, and lamb chops, and 2 ducks, 2 capons, and a leg of lamb
December 23rd. panic sets in as we realise we have still not procured presents for avalanche of grandchildren and nieces and nephews due to descend on us. Resolve the situation (against doctors orders) with a couple of glasses of port, and strategic decision that they have enough plastic rubbish and gadgets anyway, and we'll take the easy way out and give them all money camouflaged with a few gift-wrapped sweeties.

December 24th. - more panic sets in, as no. 1 son and his chidlren arrive from Ireland. Strategic decison made to have Christmas Eve dinner, and Christmas Day lunch, at son no. 2's home, as the only place big enough to accomodate the 19 people who will have to sit down to dinner/lunch.
Donna C finishes off preparation of our contribution to both meals, i.e. Strudel for Christmas Eve, and pud and cannelloni for Christmas Day.
I slink off out of the way, with only another 2 glasses of port and a cheese sandwich for lunch. 'Well, it will be a big meal this evening'
Suffice it to say it was, and so was lunch on Christmas Day. Started .at 13:30, with last course served at 18:30.

Today, boxing day, the comittee has decided that this morning we will all go for a vigorous walk in the woods and the childrens 'nature course' to work up an appetite for lunch to finish off the leftovers from yesterday. There seems to be still one duck, 1 large capon, and half a lamb with accompanying salad/vegetables to get through. I'm just off to have another glass of port to get myself in the right frame of mind for this torture.

New Years Eve is basically more of the same, with an orgy of expensive Spumante and fireworks at midnight - I can just immagine when this display starts what the Salerno landings must have been like.

We then have another ATM Grandad session for 'La Befana' - the benevolent witch who brings children their presents on 12th. night, filling their stockings with sweets, for the good children that is, but a sockful of charcoal for naughty children.
Until the appearance of Santa Claus on the (TV) scene about 30 years ago, this was the only real festival.

Buon Anno a tutti,
eddied