Chingedy ching, hee haw, hee haw! Christmas Eve is right around the corner and there’s no better way to kick off the holiday than joining us back at the table for Part Two of the Italian American Power Hour Christmas Eve Spectacular.  As we wind down our incredible fish feast and polish off the last drops of far too much homemade vino, our conversation starts anew as we explore some of the non-culinary traditions that make Christmas Eve such a special day on the Italian American calendar.

Join us as we discuss the history of the famous presepio, the Neapolitan nativity set, the significance of Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and many more facets of our Christmas traditions.  And stay tuned until the bitter end to hear a rather heated debate about the surprisingly controversial Christmas carol, Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey.

Tweetables:

• “The presepio is a very important part of the Italian American Christmas Eve [tradition]…” – Rossella Rago
• “How can you be a happy, holy family without fresh ricotta?” – Patrick O’Boyle
• “Our traditions were hijacked by the people you say ‘No one eats that anymore’.” – Patrick O’Boyle
• “We don’t have, in this modern schedule, any time that is fundamentally set aside for rest and family…the same as many people don’t prioritize those [traditions] on holidays anymore.” – John Viola
• “We’re very modern…but there’s something about the way we were raised and the values we were raised with that are important to us.” – Dolores Alfieri Taranto
• “I think culture is lost more with a lapse of memory than a conscious decision to leave.”  John Viola

Books/Resources:

• The Cooking with Nonna Cookbook: A Year of Italian Holidays by Rossella Rago
• La Bella Marketplace

Songs:

• Dominick the Donkey by Lou Monte
• All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey