Don't listen to what they say. Go see.

Here it is, I’m leaving for 9 whole days in Berlin… can my faithful readers handle it without blogs for that long?

Can Berlin handle the Jen and Kim show for that long?

We shall find out. I’m off to Germany and when I get back I’ll have plenty of stories and pictures.

I’ve been promised giant ferris wheels, Christmas markets and maybe the nutcracker ballet.

Oh the places I will go.

PS: it turned out to be a white Christmas after all. It started snowing Christmas night and left about a foot covering the ground for boxing day.

Christmas will always be as long as we stand heart to heart and hand in hand.

Here’s wishing everyone a very merry Christmas and an even happier New Year!!

May Dominick and Santa bring you everything you could wish for.

Buon Natale!

Love Jen

“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!”

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…

Or not. Because to be honest with you, white stuff or no, I’m finally excited for Christmas. I’d prefer a little of it, but not enough to ruin my travel plans, thank you very much.

But Canada. Oh Canada.

I hear you’ve lived up to your reputation. After months of telling everyone who assumed I lived in some white tundra that it doesn’t snow often in Vancouver the weather gods seem to have pulled a fast one on me.

I’m kinda jealous to tell you the truth. Because although snow sucks when I have places to be and things to do, there is something to be said about a snowy winter day and sitting at home watching it fall.

That and walking down normally busy streets that apparently are deserted.

But your minus 14 degrees… you can keep that.

Keep warm Canada. I’ll try to send warm thoughts your way, seeing that our thermometer hasn’t really dipped below 0 during the day for over a week.

Enough bragging now, I think I’m in for some cold stuff in Berlin.

Crap… by posting this I hope I don’t jinx my travel weather. Damn.

My 15 seconds should have started yesterday

It’s a well known fact that there is a certain area in the center of Vicenza where wireless internet runs free.

It’s how I post most of these wonderful blogs, download tv shows and music and generally try to fix my computer (update: my wait for everything to blow over plan worked, my computer has once again miraculously fixed itself… buy apple people, they fix themselves).

Anyways, I’m not the only one to do it. I see various people outside with their laptops. I may be the only idiot who sits there in the cold for long periods of time though (all in the name of Christmas gifts though).

On Monday I was downloading some stuff on iTunes (yes, I now legally buy music since the weak signal often means downloading a song can take an hour) for my uncles Christmas present. I was sitting on these steps where many people sit and eat or talk or use their computers, when up walks this woman and she shoves a microphone in my face and this cameraman has a camera pointed at me. She asks me something in Italian so I use my general excuse to get out of everything “I don’t speak Italian.” So she asks me in English… damn. She wanted to know if I was using the internet, unaware if this was legal or if it was allowed I didn’t want to say anything lest the free ‘net was shut down and I didn’t want to be stuck with the blame.

So I did what any famous person would do.

I put my hands up in a very dramatic fashion and said I didn’t want to be on film.

Looking back, I probably looked like an ass, but those are the breaks I guess. It’s the price to pay to keep your anonymity and the free web open.

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

Is it just me? Or is everyone else not quite there this year? I mean it's less than a week away from Christmas and I'm not even close to being ready.

I said I would bake, so far I've done none of that (but have big plans for that this weekend).

Christmas shopping? Uh, no. Not done yet. Not even started (ok, maybe a small gift was bought but that doesn't count). Thing is, I'm not quite sure how to go about it. I'm so used to stressed out mall shopping and knowing what I want to buy and where to buy it. Here, well malls are few and far in between (not to mention I get confused by even the simplest directions here), so it leaves me driving to stores that I assume has what I want, but only to be disappointed when it's not there.

It also seems to me that it's just not in the air. You know the Christmas feeling? I know, it's probably commercially created and it may be pathetic to some that I've come to rely on the commercialism to indicate the holiday season, but I just don't feel it.

Or maybe it's because I'm not where I know what Christmas is. I'm used to certain things, you know. I'm used to cutting down a tree with the family while singing Christmas carols and dodging tree stumps. Then going home and decorating that tree with Christmas cartoons playing in the background.

Baking isn't solitary and trying to find ingredients for shortbread or gingerbread isn't a task that is near impossible.

I'm used to new pajamas's on Christmas eve and waking up to open presents followed by breakfast with the family. Then heading to Nonna's to watch fake fires on TV and the mystery Christmas gift exchange.

It's all relative, I know. I'm in a different place from those that I know and that's what I want. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Maybe it's just another barrier in language and culture. Maybe I'm just stressing because it's a week away and I'm need more time.

Whatever it is, I need Christmas spirit.

(although I am very, very excited about my trip to Berlin in one week!)

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.

Behold the beautiful Christmas tree decorating our living room



Pretty swell huh? All my doing. Well almost all, I had an issue with the tinsel so Uncle Meraldo helped me out. He also put up the tree and the lights. But the bulbs, all me.

(Side note: Tinsel here is different from in Canada, that’s why I had a problem, not because I’m inept or anything. It’s all long strands instead of the short stuff back home, much easier and better I think)

The tree is artificial, apparently that is the norm here since, as my student put it, “Italy isn’t all forest like in Canada.” He then made me feel bad when I told him that it doesn’t feel right without a real tree. It quickly passed though.

Also, let’s take a mini-survey right now. How many people hang apples on their tree (fake apples of course) or use them as decorations of some kind (fake again of course)? Because I know we do at my mom’s house, also my awesome ghetto tree had them glued right on. I found them here as well and I’m pretty sure Nonna uses them too. Now what is this obsession with apples? Is there something about this? I always thought oranges and cranberries were the fruit of the season.

This weekend I’ll start some Christmas baking (start and finish I suppose, this holiday is creeping up on me this year), because quite honestly it’s not feeling very Christmas-y yet, maybe it’s the lack of commercialism or Christmas music on the radio, so I hope that helps. I should probably begin my Christmas shopping as well… this may be the latest I’ve ever left it, but gift ideas are hard and finding what I have in mind is harder since the stores here are way different then Canada (and I need a mall… malls are hard to come by around here).

Update...

My aunt will be coming home from the hospital tomorrow (Tuesday).... yay!

After over a week in the hospital (and a week since the operation) she's gotten the ok to come home Tuesday.

Hooray