As Christmas 2025 fast approaches, the subject of Christmas is on everyone's lips in my walking group. My Christmas' have changed as our girls grew older, but decorating the tree together, singing along to Michael Bublé and sipping on a glass of Malbec never did! Letting go of carrots for Santa’s reindeer, sprinkling flour footprints across the floor, or tracking Santa every minute wasn’t easy as a mum, but at 20 it was definitely a bit embarrassing for them! Those memories of Christmas in the UK with our blended family are precious, and I’ll always cherish the photos that bring them back to life.
Christmas in Spain – Creating New Traditions Abroad
But everything shifted the first year we spent Christmas in Spain. The magic I once knew didn’t just fade. I made a conscious decision to embrace a different kind of Christmas. No longer family-centred, but simpler, calmer, and free from the commercial chaos. As a couple we decided to:
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Stop buying gifts for each other
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Swap Christmas cards for charity donations
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Keep decorations minimal
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Skip the traditional Christmas dinner (yes, really!)
Do I miss the Christmas Past?
Yes and no. I don’t miss the overspending, crowded shops, endless cleaning and cooking, or the 5lbs (2.2kg, just over ⅓ stone) that always crept on. What I do miss are the family games, stockings at the end of every bed, and the sparkle of having little ones at home. Now, that baton has been passed to our daughters, who are creating their own Christmas magic for our grandchildren, and that makes me smile.
Most years, the sun is shining here in Spain. We spend the morning FaceTiming family and friends, often heading out for a walk while a curry bubbles away in the slow cooker. Later, it’s Christmas films and pure relaxation (except the year I forgot to turn the slow cooker on – liquid dinner it was!). Christmas in Spain has become our new tradition. Quiet, different, but deeply ours. We celebrate health, freedom, and happiness. Gifts that no money can buy.
When we can, we try to include ourselves in the Chrsitmas traditions here in Spain for the festive season:
- Christmas Eve (Nochebuena, 24th December): Families gather for a big meal, often late at night, with dishes like seafood, lamb, or turkey.
- Midnight Mass (La Misa del Gallo): Many attend church after the Christmas Eve meal.
- Christmas Day (25th December): More low-key than in the UK; it’s usually about rest, family time, and food rather than lots of gifts.
- Holy Innocents Day (28th December): Similar to April Fools’ Day, with jokes and pranks.
- New Year’s Eve (Nochevieja, 31st December): Tradition is to eat 12 grapes at midnight, one with each clock chime, for good luck.
- On the eve of the 3 Kings (5th January), towns hold colourful parades (Cabalgatas) welcoming the Three Kings.
- Three Kings’ Day (Día de los Reyes, 6th January): The biggest gift-giving day, when children receive presents.
Christmas is what you make it – whether it’s wrapped in tinsel and tradition, filled with family games and feasts, or kept simple with a walk in the sunshine and a quiet meal together. It doesn’t have to follow the rules or match what everyone else is doing. The beauty of Christmas is in shaping it to suit your life, your circumstances, and what brings you joy. When you take away the pressure to spend, perform, or create a picture-perfect day, you’re left with the true heart of the season – connection, peace, and making memories in a way that feels right for you.
Wherever you are; whoever you're with; whatever you're doing; however, you celebrate it. I hope that your Christmas is a good one, with peace, understanding, kindness and love.
Feliz Navidad x
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