To begin: what's hot for Christmas 2009 in Italy?

December 1, 2009: the countdown begins. How long to Christmas?

How many days left till Santa ? A nice Advent calendar that you can make with your kids getting into the real spirit of Holidays.
For more details : you will need a white board, some felt pieces, glue, scissors ... and ... patience. So you'll be able to make Santa's elks!
Another advent calendar making

The Christmas crib, Italian style

This is our first handmade Christmas crib. It's cheap and easy to do.
You will need: silver wire, leftover wool, palline di ovatta, felt pieces, portioned bark, small branches ... You can find all you need easily.
For more details we teach you the right tecnique for making the Holy family, your figurines, the hut, little houses ...

Christmas trees

• - Welcoming Christmas tree after Christmastime the little pine becomes something different: a nice winter decoration! (for more details ...)
• - A fresh trimmed cypress decorated for Christmas how to decorate a little fresh cypress for people who have no space for a traditional Christmas tree
• - Fairy's Christmas tree the fairies decorate their Christmas tree ...
• - Elf Christmas tree even the wood elf adobes his Christmas tree but in his own way ...
• - Stuffed Christmas tree handcrafted Christmas decoration so beautiful to show it all winter

The other Christmas decorations

• - Pot pourri in the platter how to change a simple white platter into a refined Christmas decoration with the gold leaf tecnique.
  Tha same platter becomes the holder for different decorations (for more details ...)
• - Outdoor Christmas decoration a fashionable ornament for your balcony according to Italian style
• - Handmade Christmas angels cheap, easy to do. Make them with your children! Use them as place cards, centrepiece or ornament for pieces of furniture. We also made an ochestra and choir.

The Christmas table

• - Great edible place cards nice snowmen and tasty savoury puddings that can mark every table place and that are the first starter in your menu! Step-by-step instructions to make these nice, easy to do Christmas place-cards.

Christmas menu and special recipes

Are you ready with Christmas Eve menu, Christmas menu, Christmastime recipes?
Every year the same problem ... In Italy we prefer a tradional menu but in the same way we are finding for new recipes. Something new is always agreeable.
So we are going to publish a traditional Italian recipe and a new recipe every day till Christmas to help you planning your Christmas parties.

We begin with some tasty recipes that we have already tested with our guests a lot of times. They are very successful! Impress your guest with something special. You can read them in the members-only area.

• - Large ravioli with langoustines (scampi): make a real impression on your guests with this recipe. Serve it after the first course (pasta) and before the second course (fish or meat) according to an authentic Italian menu
• - Linguine with lobster and artichokes: a special dish for an important occasion
• - How to shell a lobster or in other words how to remove the meat from a lobster leaving its shell whole in order to garnish your serving dish. Impress your guests with your ability!
• - Pasta dressed with salmon trout, red caviar eggs and shrimps. An important main dish for a celebration menu or your Christmas menu
• - Baked meat dish: a great dish for a special occasion. You can make it in advance. The ideal side-dish is a very, very very special salad seasoned with olive oil and honey.
• - Smoked fish and fresh fruit on toast bread: our last appetizer recipe: mmh ... gnam, gnam!

The following recipes are free

• - Mushroom risotto with quail breasts a tasty recipe with special ingredients but easy to do, suitable for Christmas menu
• - Linguine with lobster important first course for Christmas menu or special occasion
• - Traditional Italian Christmas menu from Piedmont read how we plan a Christmas dinner party in Piedmont-Italy