Christmas in Italy: Christmas Day

Italians usually spend Christmas Day enjoying the company of their families. The Italians eat Christmas dinner at midday on December 25. In Italy the menu varies from region to region. Both roast turkey and ham are popular main courses, and a bowl of lentils with sausage is often served as a side dish. In addition, many Italians serve panettone, a sweet Christmas bread originally from Milan, as a Christmas dessert (see also Christmas cake). Amaretti, almond cookies, cannoli, tubes of pastry filled with sweetened ricotta cheese and candied fruit, and strufoli, fried dough balls, often appear on the dessert table. Sometimes children write letters to their parents, which they place next to their father’s plate. The letters usually offer an apology for past misbehavior and a promise of better behavior to come. The letters also provide the children an opportunity to show off their handwriting.