December is a special month of the year when many traditions are renewed—traditions that connect us to our roots, our family, our culture, and in some cases, even our religion.
I believe that every tradition always carries a touch of magic whenever we honor it by renewing it!
The beauty of traditions is that, through natural evolution, we not only preserve and observe them, but each time we also partly recreate them with small changes. Indeed, traditions are celebrations of joy and life, yet they are continuously evolving.
Let us never allow ourselves to be stressed when recreating them out of fear of not doing them justice or reliving them properly. On the contrary, we should experience these moments with spontaneity and joy in the present.
Making small adjustments to past traditions does not make the memories of “how things were” any less beautiful, precious, or meaningful. On the contrary, preserving and experiencing a tradition, even in a slightly new way, demonstrates the extraordinary value of those moments from the past that filled our hearts.
Many of the traditions from my youth in Calabria, such as the Nativity scene and petrali (Christmas pastries filled with dried figs and almonds, then covered in chocolate or fondant sugar), are still alive today in my family here in Philadelphia, United States.
The true magic of traditions lies in the fact that each one is slightly reinvented every time with small variations.
For example, the petrali are prepared every year at my home by my wife, who is American. She became familiar with them thanks to my mother, who religiously made them every Christmas. Who would have imagined that she would become a guardian of this Calabrian Christmas tradition? Perhaps this is what makes these sweets even more special.
For me, the Nativity scene—a Christmas tradition from my childhood—has evolved since my children were little and we visited Naples. During that visit, they fell in love with the beauty of the Neapolitan Nativity scenes, which are extraordinary, intricate, and recreate the Nativity within an urban landscape.
Initially, we brought home only the figures of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. On each subsequent visit to Gambardella’s shop, the artisan in Naples at San Gregorio Armeno, we added more figures.
To give an extra touch to our Nativity scene, the tradition expanded further because every year we gather moss from the Poconos Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania, my wife’s childhood home. For this reason, the scene is slightly different each year.
I could never have imagined any of these evolutions in the Christmas traditions of my Calabrian childhood. Yet the art and magic of traditions always allow and encourage new palettes and continuous surprises.
Whatever your traditions and celebrations may be, I encourage you to embrace them wherever and whenever you find yourself.
From the bottom of my heart, I wish you and your loved ones joy, health, and all good things for the New Year!
