'tis the season and I feel it, love it as I always did since I can remember.

It’s ingrained in my genes, blood, traditions, customs and comfort, beloved and cherished memories. I celebrate Christmas and I am happy to wish Merry Christmas to all, to be a little Santa Elf, to buy gifts, hide them and put them under the tree on Christmas Eve. We eat fish on the 24th and Christmas lunch is a profusion of delicacies, from tortellini to the Pandoro with powdered sugar.

And the tree? It must be up at least by December 1st when the Advent calendar begins. Flickering lights, gilded decorations, wreaths, silver silverware and champagne flutes always on duty.

I find it hard to express it all though now that I am not in Italy. I am not alone. I was reading ‘Changing Into Your Christmas Culture’ by Richard Bronson and it was reassuring to read that

Your culture greatly informs how you perceive the world. It determines what you interpret as honorable, good and true. Its intangible presence can be felt in most everything you do […] However, what you take to be your culture is as much a matter of what you identify with and value as the circumstances to which you were born.

Now, where is my culture? The best depiction (very proud to brag it) is the Mona Lisa culture.

Here’s the latest study done by 2 researchers of the University of Urbino that describes in minute details where is the most famous balcony in the world overlooking.

Mine is the culture of the culture, something impalpably rich that takes me everywhere I go. it is something that people would love to reproduce by saying “I was in Florence and Tuscany (as if being in Florence isn’t being in Tuscany already…) in a 7 days tour, I was in Rome and Venice too”.

Culture is not Monopoli, you can’t touch and buy, it grows.

Can’t help it.

Why not being proud of it and show it off?

Happy 26 days ‘til Christmas!!