the end of the year goes by in a daze, a rush of days tangled together by hugs and errands. work has this tendency to stretch its arms and take over all the available time we have – and between that and all the trips & travels, time to sit down and write has been scarce. so instead of half-assing my way through a couple of posts, let me just close the year by wishing all my friends happy holidays – and see you next year! :)
consoada, the family dinner on christmas eve, is the epitome of christmas celebrations in portugal. families get together and a ton of food, homemade wine and sweets are consumed. there’s nothing fancy about it: everybody brings something and we share it all. and then, when people are nearing sugar coma, santa claus descends upon us and distributes the presents. because the family is quite big and loves to give cleverly disguised gag gifts, the process takes hours… plus for the first time in a really long time, there’s a baby in the family again – his name is martim, and he loves to help people tear the wrapping paper off their presents! :)
it never gets old! :)