What’s Christmas like in Modica?
For one, there’s a singular lack of over-the-top ‘bling’. Okay, there are Christmas decorations in shop windows: A few baubles, some tinsel and coloured lights, perhaps a Babbo Natale (Father Christmas) doll, and likely a ‘twee’ Christmas message or two.
The latter often written in English!
Anyways, it’s f’sure not like those OTT displays elsewhere (I’m looking at you UK and NZ!): With the run-up to Christmas most often starting months before and, of course, purely for commercial reasons.
Here, it’s more about what Christmas once was and, perhaps, should still be all about? That is: A Christian celebration of the birth of Christ, and all that that entails. Now, ask anyone, I’m not religious in about any way, but I do have to say they do it very well here!
During the lead up to the festive season, there are more Eucharistic celebrations and Holy Masses than you could poke a stick at. About every single church here (and there are many!) will hold a Christmas-themed concert or two. And let’s not forget the “Presepi di Natale” (“Christmas Nativity Scenes”) they’ll also have proudly on display in each of those churches.
Incidentally, something Alice really enjoys!
Then there’s the ‘ultimate’ tradition: The “Presepe Vivente” (“Living Nativity Scene”). This is where locals will dress up and proudly display crafts from a bygone era, and you’ll find a ‘Joseph’, ‘Mary’ and a (often ‘real’) ‘Baby Jesus’!
They absolutely do know how to celebrate Christmas here!
The latter often written in English!
Anyways, it’s f’sure not like those OTT displays elsewhere (I’m looking at you UK and NZ!): With the run-up to Christmas most often starting months before and, of course, purely for commercial reasons.
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| A napping Baby Jesus |
During the lead up to the festive season, there are more Eucharistic celebrations and Holy Masses than you could poke a stick at. About every single church here (and there are many!) will hold a Christmas-themed concert or two. And let’s not forget the “Presepi di Natale” (“Christmas Nativity Scenes”) they’ll also have proudly on display in each of those churches.
Incidentally, something Alice really enjoys!
Then there’s the ‘ultimate’ tradition: The “Presepe Vivente” (“Living Nativity Scene”). This is where locals will dress up and proudly display crafts from a bygone era, and you’ll find a ‘Joseph’, ‘Mary’ and a (often ‘real’) ‘Baby Jesus’!
They absolutely do know how to celebrate Christmas here!
‘Tis the Season
It’s that time of year again.
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| The Ancient Greeks f'sure knew how to navel gaze! |
Especially important as I know I have way more history than future...
But please don’t think this is the onset of an episode of depression or anything like that. Far from it!
It’s more about, as you get older, you ‘worry’ about what you’re leaving behind. Your future ‘footprint’, if you will. It’s something I’ve been working on over the past few years. More especially as I’m retired, and have more time to devote to such things.
So, let’s talk about that most wonderful (and fraught) of words: “Legacy”.
Now Alice and I may count ourselves uber-lucky here, as we do have that greatest of all legacies: Our children.
But there are other things I can do to ‘ensure’ our particular legacy lives on.
Such as this blog for one! One of the reasons I started it in the first place being for just this reason. It’ll be here long after I won’t be.
Then there’s the family tree, which I’ve been working on extensively. How can you know where your family’s going, if’n you don’t know where they’ve been?
Then there's my ongoing project to scan all those older family pics. Something that’s both time-consuming and rewarding.
As is much in life!
Time Flies
2026 is (nearly) upon us!
Hasn’t 2025 flown by? Albeit to an (officially) ‘Old Fart’ like me it has anyways!
As I like to put it: “The days may drag, but the years fly by...” Which is, okay, perhaps more a reflection of those days when I was still working for a living, but I do have to say that the years have f’sure sped by.
Anyways, what did we achieve in 2025 then?
I returned to the UK for the first time since we’d left, which was f’sure an eye-opener and, while I loved it, it only served to reinforce we’d made the correct decision.
Then, my “All Things Modica” Facebook page celebrated 2.000 followers. Something I’d never thought (but did hope) would happen.
Not forgetting we celebrated the fourth anniversary of moving into our ‘kiwi4everhome’ this year. I still can’t get over that we managed this. Go us!
We spent much of the Summer painting the interior of said ‘kiwi4everhome’. Something we did to prove to ourselves that we still could.
September was full on with anniversaries. But this was special as it marked 10 years since my heart attack (bad). But then, it also marked the fifth anniversary of our arrival here in Sicily (good).
And this year, I made Focaccia bread for the first time! Sometimes, it’s the little things.
All-in-all, a pretty good year…
