Nochebuena

Don Duende & Poca Muñeca and many amigos took Toffee into the mountains to play in the snow. Señora Comecocos and I passed, we don't do snow. DeathMetalMunchkin stayed in bed. It was Toffee's first experience of snow and he loved it. He was bounding about, snuffling head first looking for snowballs.

I feel it's going to be a long night ahead.....

Factoid: Christmas Eve in Spain, called “Nochebuena”, just like in many parts of the world, is celebrated with two very important traditions, eating an enormous and decadent meal, and going to Christmas mass. There is a wide variety of typical foods one might find on plates across Spain on this night. Each region has its own distinct specialties. Among typical dishes served on Christmas Eve and during the days that follow are roast lamb and suckling pig (typically served in the regions of Castilla León, Castilla la Mancha, and Madrid), foul like turkey or duck (commonly prepared in Andalucía), and an enormous variety of seafood, including shrimp, lobster, crab, and various types of fish like hake, trout, sea bream, sea bass, and salmon (common in many regions, but mostly on the costs). For dessert, there is quite a spread of delicacies, among them are turrón and marzapan, desserts made of honey, egg and almonds that are Arabic in origin, as well as polvorones, a sweet bread kind of like elephant ears, and a variety of nuts and dried fruits. To drink, one must have a glass of cava, the Spanish equivalent of champagne, although the Spanish say that cava is much better. After the meal, many Spaniards get their second wind and go to midnight mass, known as “La misa del Gallo”, or “Rooster Mass”, named such because the Rooster is known as the first to announce the birth of Christ.