As the song goes – Christmas is all around us, and so the feeling grows…..
We were uncertain what to expect from our first Christmas in Crete. We were told that it is not a big religious festival here – Easter is their main church celebration, and not much was made of Christmas commercially either.
Coming from a town in England which had been pilloried several years running in the national press for being the “meanest town in England” as far as Christmas lights was concerned, we naturally did not expect to see any here in Crete. How wrong can you be?
Coloured lights are widely available for home use, and practically all of the towns, and some of the villages, have a good display in the streets - everything from coloured lanterns and stars on the lamp-posts to the good old standby, “Xronia Polla”, stretched across the road. Instead of using a Christmas tree as a symbol of the season, here they use a sailing boat, and these are on show in squares and other public places, lit with little white lights. Although ‘real’ Christmas trees are scarce, they are certainly there in the shops. There are plenty of the fake ones around – from the seriously ‘naff’ to the quite convincing!
The great thing is that the Christmas season starts at the beginning of December – not the end of August, like in the UK. Shops which have been standing empty for a while are converted overnight into magnificent Christmas emporia, stacked with displays of Christmas tree danglers, candles and little seasonally-dressed statues. And the interesting thing is, far from being plastic horrors and tacky rubbish, most of them have been hand-made and are really very pretty. We bought lots and promptly threw away most of the seedy things – including the slightly rusty fairy - we had brought with us from the UK.
Christmas cards, however, are still not widely sent and crackers seem to be unavailable.
Most of the older people do not go in for exchanging presents, but the children seem to do pretty well. Advertisements on the television are geared towards expensive toys from early November, allowing plenty of time for parents to be softened up to the idea of forking out 50 Euros for something with a twenty minute lifespan.
The traditional food is not, of course, turkey and plum pudding. If the locals eat a big meal, it seems to be pork. Frozen turkeys are available in the bigger supermarkets all year, so we Brits can get one if really necessary! But if you want a Christmas pud, you will have to get one sent over from the UK or make your own.
My partner, Rob, is threatening to buy an inflatable 3 metre high Father Christmas he saw on sale in the local ‘Crazy Shop’ last year …. he wants to tether it on our roof, but of course any gales will ensure a prompt take-off. So Father Christmas (St Nicholas) may be seen by a larger number of Cretan children this year – minus, of course, his reindeer and sleigh.
Another great thing about Christmas here is that it finishes on December 25th. On December 26th, it is back to business as usual – shops open, all done and dusted. No four-day hangovers, no staff absences until the new year – and no immediate rush to the sales.
Have a peaceful and Happy Christmas, wherever you are. Xronia Polla!
