| If you are planning to spend Christmas in Spain then | | | | stores will go to any great effort to decorate their |
| you are in for a treat so long as you are going to | | | | windows with festive Christmas trees and reindeer. |
| stay into the New Year. In Spain the traditional day | | | | Families do not put out lights outside their homes as |
| for celebrating is not the 25th of December but the | | | | they do in the UK, the whole thing is far less |
| night of January 5th when the Three Kings come into | | | | "twinkly." If you hate the commercial side of |
| each and every home and leave presents for the | | | | Christmas in the UK then spending Christmas in Spain |
| children in the fireplace. The 25th December is a public | | | | is a good choice. Personally I miss the "twinkle" and |
| holiday and some children now have a Papa Noel that | | | | the big build up but I just LOVE Christmas so I bring |
| comes to them then too but the main celebrations in | | | | the "twinkle" here and hang out everything and |
| all the towns and homes are on the night of January | | | | anything on my balcony and my tree still goes up at |
| 5th. If you cannot stay in Spain until then, you will | | | | the end of November. |
| miss out on the major part of Christmas here. | | | | Crackers, cards, mince pies, Christmas cake, turkey, |
| On January 5th as it begins to get dark each town | | | | baby sausages, festive paper, real Christmas trees |
| will have a major procession going through it and all | | | | are all hard to find here in Spain. If they are |
| the children line up on the edge of the road to watch | | | | important to you bring what you can over with you. |
| the arrival of the Three Kings. They arrive on | | | | If you are staying near Gibraltar, perhaps on the |
| horseback or camel and as the floats go by sweets, | | | | Costa del Sol then you can always do a quick drive |
| rather hard ones usually, are thrown by the children | | | | over there ( don't forget your passport) and stock |
| and adults on the floats to all the people lined up on | | | | up on treats at the supermarket there. You will find |
| the streets. Children bring cones and bags to fill as | | | | some Spanish supermarkets sell turkey and mince |
| the sweets pour or bounce onto the pavements. It is | | | | pies, but only in areas that have a high density of |
| a wonderful 30-45 minutes for the children and | | | | ex-pats living there. Better to be on the safe side |
| afterwards the adults usually go in search of a tapas | | | | and pack a few extras in your suitcase. |
| bar where children are of course welcome ( this is | | | | For me the best solution is to spend Christmas in the |
| Spain!) and the rest of the evening is passed away | | | | UK and then whilst everyone is depressed at the |
| merrily. | | | | thought of more cold weather and long queues at |
| On the day of the 6th it is a public holiday and the | | | | the shops during the sales I head to Spain for the |
| Spanish have a feast of seafood, ham and a | | | | wonderful celebrations of the Three Kings and usually |
| traditional cake made of almonds, sugar, flour and | | | | warm sunshine. I get my fix of sales on the 26th and |
| turron. | | | | by the 27th I am ready to spend the next Christmas |
| Christmas in Spain is far less commercial than in the | | | | in Spain. Two Christmas' each year. What a perfect |
| UK. The streets will hang out lights but only the larger | | | | treat! |