Christmas in Spain - Really?

Any expats living or hoping to be in Spain over the Christmas period will notice one major problem....it doesn't feel like Christmas at all, and it won't do until January!

Half the reason is becuase the Spanish don't celebrate the 25th of December, they actually celebrate the 6th of January, which is the coming of the Three Kings.

So for them it's still too early to get all festive. Most Spanish children won't get any presents on the 25th, although some may get a small gift as Santa Claus pushes his way into Spanish culture, although he still needs to a bit more pushy!

Today the sun is shining, there's little evidence of Christmas in the shops.....it just doesn't feel like christmas is riht round the corner. If you don't like all the commercialism of Christmas then this is a great place to be. But not us, we love all the commercialism which is why we're off to London soon for a few days to get our Christmas fix and go to Hamleys, Harrods, etc.

It's all for the kids, of course.....

Christmas in Malaga

It seems I haven't posted anything for a while! The real reason for this is that I just had to stay away from the computer over Christmas or else I would have got carried away and would have missed the whole festive season.

But I'm (sort of) back now.

We'll we had a really nice Christmas here. It was very relaxing, got the presents that I more or less wanted and the sun was shining (that bit's not so Christmassy). The kids had a great time too, and now they're looking forward to the Three Kings.

If you don't know, the Spanish don't really celebrate Christmas much. Their real "Christmas" is the Epiphany, the Three Kings on the 6th of January. As our kids are in Spanish school we have to celebrate "los reyes" too so our Christmas is far from over yet!

In fact, it's only just starting to feel like Christmas here as we approach the 6th of January.

We went to Malaga with some friends yesterday to check out the lights there. What an atmosphere. I never really hear many people talking about Malaga but it's a great city. They have some stunning lights all over the centre and there's a real buzz around the place. There was a band playing in the main square, ice skating, and lots of other activities.

If you're in the area then I suggest you spend a day in Malaga. It's a really happening place at the moment in the build up to "los reyes". Highly recommend you check it out.

Anyway, best get back to "chilling" a bit more....