Enduring the cold for Happy Holidays

By: Yvette Scorse, Staff Columnist

Posted: 12/6/05

For the last few weeks, Christmas lights have begun to appear through the streets of Barcelona, hanging from the buildings to the trees and wishing "Bones Festes" (Happy Holidays) with campanas (bells), Papá Noel and árboles de navidad (Christmas trees). As more decorations appeared in the city and finally crept onto my street, I waited impatiently for the night when they would finally be lit.

Apparently, Spain operates on the same "Christmas-after-Thanksgiving" rule as the United States, even though Thanksgiving doesn't exist here. The day after Thanksgiving, I stepped out of the metro at Paral-lel, and to my excitement, I saw white lights lining the streets, and suddenly I didn't mind the cold weather or being bundled up in my wool coat and scarf.

What made me even happier was that I was heading out to have Thanksgiving dinner with my friend's family that was visiting from the States.

I was super-excited because my friend Dan had texted me a few minutes before informing me that his mom brought "salsa de cranberry" (cranberry sauce) from the EEUU (United States). I literally yelled with anticipation and jumped up and down when I got the good news.

The night before, we had Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant with all the Americans in our study abroad program, but it was lacking in cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and hominess. My second Thanksgiving dinner the following night with Dan and family provided all the missing ingredients and more.

We arrived at the family's rented apartment, complete with a kitchen the size of a closet, where his mom, Barbara, magically prepared a full Thanksgiving dinner. I met Dan's family for the first time - his mom, dad, brother and sister - and immediately decided that I would adopt them as my own for the night.

We moved an extra table and small couch into the dining room (which doubled as a bedroom), and we squeezed into the toasty nook and snacked on Chex mix (imported from the United States). The food was delicious and was followed by the best pumpkin pie ever (aunt someone's recipe), made with imported cans of pumpkin.

When we left dinner, I told Dan, one of my best guy friends ever, that I wanted to marry him just so I could be part of his family. Later, I amended this statement and told him that he had other redeeming qualities besides his lovable family.

Barcelona is much colder than I expected, but after wandering around this weekend under Christmas lights and sipping una infusión (tea) or café, I've decided that I can put up with it. I will have to endure more frigid cold this weekend in Germany, all for the Christmas markets, and of course, some winter company from my friend Erin. I will enjoy winter and Christmas and all that it brings, especially a visit from my family, but beach season will never arrive too soon.

Yvette Scorse is a staff columnist for The Traveler. She is studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain.