Dear Readers, Like most Italians, last week, we decorated our home for Christmas, the tree is now blinking every evening, and shepherds, sheeps and angels in our presepe (creche) are all anxiously waiting for baby Jesus to join them on Christmas eve. Preparations are not over yet though as the advent calendar of an Italian mamma is a busy one. It started with helping other parents decorating my daughter's school for a live nativity scene, then preparing some traditional sweets for the school Christmas market, taking her to choir rehearsals and, finally, this weekend I need to get her outfit ready. She needs to dress like a Sicilian 'contadinella' (a farmer) of the late 1800s. We need to find a long skirt, an old style apron, a traditional scarf to put on her head and a woven basket. I think grandma will need to open great grandma's trunk and with a couple of adjustments we should be fine. While all these tasks crowd the already busy schedule of most working parents, there is no question they also offer the chance to get more involved with the community, get closer to the kids and strengthen the bonds between generations. This strong Italian attachment to traditions and cultural heritage is the best Christmas Spirit we could wish for. Arrivederci.