Our first Christmas in Italy and finally being tourists in Torino.

Plus, a few things I've been missing.

Our first Christmas in Italy

Someone mentioned that the first holidays in a new country can be challenging and lonely, and I see how this can be true. For us, the weeks leading up to Christmas were very tough. Arriving back from a month away working in LA, I had to get through my jetlag while dealing with the kids being sick again, especially Bruno (for the third time in a month), an apartment in complete disarray with trying to unpack our container, and trying to figure out where to get everything we needed for a holiday in a new country. Where do you get poinsettia and garlands? Where is the best toy store? Is anything open on Christmas Eve? Everything felt both immediate and unknown. But, in the final hour, our chaotic world miraculously fell into place. We borrowed a folding table and benches to have a place to share a meal with Andre's parents and our friends from school. And on Christmas Eve, for the first time since arriving in Torino, we entertained, making a real homecooked meal for our guests: Pasta Fagioli, Barra Santos Endive Salad, Lemon Kale Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts, and these roasted Brussels Sprouts but I added pomegranate seeds instead of pine nuts.

If you know us, you know we love to entertain; creating memorable meals and moments for our family and friends in our home is truly one of our favorite things. It's our love language and something we've been missing deeply since we arrived in this new place. So, we cleared out the living and dining room of all the clutter and filled the space with poinsettia, all our Christmas decorations that traveled across an ocean, holiday mementos from years in LA, and a huge Christmas tree. And, even though it was the first time in our life we had an artificial tree, it was stunning, and I'm grateful we won't have to spend a week trying to repot and then replant a live Christmas tree in Italy. Many warned us that it's not the easiest thing, especially in an apartment!

And, while I know Andre and I have been missing our old house and so many little things, like sitting in front of our wood-burning fireplace, the smell of a real Christmas tree, and holiday friend hangs, I love knowing that we are already making new memories that are beautiful and filled with joy. The kids were worried Santa wouldn't find us in Italy, but luckily, he didn't miss a beat, and the morning was as magical as ever. A beautiful reminder that no matter where we are, it will be something great if we're together. Costa even remarked, “I didn’t know how Christmas in Italy was gonna be, but I think it’s going realllllly well.”

Sending you all warm holiday wishes out there wherever you’re celebrating from! x

---

Being Tourists in Torino

Andre's parents arrived in Torino on the 23rd to enjoy a two-week holiday with us, and we're finally going out into the city to explore and experience all the fun, touristy activities. Our first stop after Christmas was the Museo Egizio, the world-famous Egyptian museum in Torino, one of the most visited museums in Italy. The collection of Egyptian antiquities is massive, with over 30,000 artifacts, and outside of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, this collection is revered as the most important collection of Egyptian artifacts in the world. We made it through most of the museum without any meltdowns from the kids, a true Christmas miracle. Then, it was lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Lao, for delicious and authentic Chinese food. Everything was so satisfying, from the steaming hot pork buns and handmade soup dumplings to the stir-fried sweet and sour chicken with peanuts, chili peppers, and scallions. The lines are always long at this spot, so if you are in Turin and decide to go, get there early!

Yesterday morning, we headed to the historic Caffe Baratti & Milano for pastries and the famous Bicerin, a warm drink of espresso, hot chocolate, and steamed milk.