Over-commercialization of Christmas has become the phrase we use to describe this holiday celebration in the United States. Long before Halloween, we start to hear Christmas carols in the malls throughout the 50 states. So our first Christmas in Italy was a bit of a culture shock.

Thanksgiving had come and gone, and there was still no sign that Christmas was approaching. No lights hanging in the windows, no trees, no songs in the stores. We couldn’t even find Christmas cards. What gives?

Winter Snow (and no tourists)

Christmas is simply a religious holiday in Italy. Parishioners will go to church quietly with their families like they do every Sunday, and pray. They will have a special dinner at home, and retire feeling a sense of renewal from the meaning of the day. It is a time where Venetians slow down even more than normal. An occasional snowfall covers the boats, bridges, and calli making walking difficult and often dangerous. There are, of course, no guard rails to stop you from sliding off the walkway and into the canals! The tourists are gone, and a sense of peace and family envelops the lagoon.

Christmas Tree Shopping (bring your own gondola!)

But I digress. After the 12th of December, small signs give an indication that Christmas is approaching. On a canal just off of Strada Nova in Cannaregio there is a Christmas tree boat. Here, you can buy a tree and take it home, along with a bucket and some dirt in which you can place the tree. Of course, you can’t just strap the tree to the top of your car and drive home.

How would we get the tree back to our apartment on the other side of the Grande Canal? Debbie and I stopped at a café to devise a plan.

We picked out a tree, and carried it to the Grande Canal where we boarded a traghetto (a gondola used by residents to traverse the canal) standing up holding our tree, then walked the remaining ¼ mile to the house. I then repeated the process (crossing the Grande Canal two more times) with the bucket and 50 pounds of dirt. We found a string of lights in an electric store, and a few ornaments in the COIN department store, where we could choose from at least 6 or 7 ornaments. We surrounded the tree with a few poinsettias, and we were set for the holiday. This process took the entire day and a good portion of the night. We collapsed that night in bed, thankful that Christmas only comes once a year.

A Quiet Winter Eve along Rio Cannaregio

On Christmas Eve, we attended mass at the Frari and listened to the glorious sounds of the pipe organ filling this 700 year old church. Walking back to the apartment late at night, we could hear carols emanating from the various churches, echoing through the narrow alleys. The boats were all docked, and the water still. It was truly a silent, holy night.

(From Barrys' soon to be released book about life in Venice, "It's Enough to Make a Venetian Blind")