The Christmas 2022 Blog
The Christmas 2022 Blog! AND SO, A YEAR ENDS AND ANOTHER BEGINS……
It’s sometimes quite amazing how time flies, as they say, when you’re having fun. Here in Gandia, this year seems to have spun past on wheels! So, I guess you have to gather that it was fun. Well, actually ….. yeah, overall, it was. Oh sure, there were the frustrating bits, the annoying bits, but overall, 2022 has not treated us too badly.
Its official 2022 was the hottest and the third driest year for Spain on record, despite the deluge of rain that fell on Gandia in March. I can confirm that the rain in Spain does flippin’ not fall on the plain, because some of it definitely fell on Gandia in Spring! Oh okey, maybe I exaggerate, but it didn’t feel like an exaggeration at the time, let me tell you! You do get seasons in this part of Spain but the benefit in that, is that we have underground lakes that harvest any rainfall, so we never suffer from droughts in this beautiful region of Spain, its always green and lush and not dessert looking! We all know that it’s curl up in front of the fire in the evenings and watch daft telly time January through to March, then the weather magician realises that it’s not supposed to be chilly so he switches the power back on and off we go on the wall to wall sunshine roller coaster that is known as Gandia!
But then somehow over the spring and summer, the days and weeks have passed quicker and quicker, until suddenly the water in the pool is rather chilly and you realise that there are only thirty-three shopping days until Christmas!
So, in the past year we have made more friends (very easily), taken up Spanish Lessons with the U3A folks, my gorgeous other half has got into Line Dancing (also under the auspices of the above) and I have got back into playing bass guitar and currently have fun putting a playlist together with a guitar playing friend, with a view to playing at parties and local bars/cafes next year. We have set up the ‘playroom’ upstairs with a brand-new pool table, a couple of nice comfy sofas and an ethnic derived coffee table and store unit to chill out with friends in front of the log stove. Just got the dart board to mount properly, tomorrow and we’re just about ready for the Christmas onslaught!
Talking of which, we have already chalked up four Christmas dinners, if you include the Charity dinner and quiz night held at a delightful traditional, local Spanish restaurant for one of the animal charities that we all support in various ways. You are probably getting the idea that there’s a lot going on around here and you are right! There is so much going on you can easily end up with overload, but if you prefer, you can just chill out and enjoy country walks (also with the U3A if you wish), lunches out in the sunshine still. In the winter you’re OK until the sun dips, then it’s rush for your cardi, because the temperature is going to drop quickly within half an hour!
But then most of us retire to our beautiful open log fireplaces and just chill out watching your choice on the excellent English TV apps or just get mesmerised by the flickering flames in the hearth. I find a coffee and shot of JD with a dribble of water works well, myself!
But then there are late afternoon walks with Wolfie, our rescue cross Husky/Schnauzer, down on the doggy beach soaking up the last rays of sun and leaving your footprints, or in his case, pawprints in the golden sand, picking up the odd seashell or interesting piece of driftwood, before returning home.
She who must be obeyed has completed the internal decorations for Xmas ready for the big event. With both son and daughter and their respective partners spending Christmas here with us this year, we have boosted the shares in Carrefour no end over the past couple of weeks. I don’t think that she has had a proper night sleep for the past week with the excitement of having all her puppies back in the basket for a whole week. Home made Christmas cake and pud, bizarre alcoholic concoctions, the whole villa spit and polished until the pips squeak! (Hmmmm! Not sure that that sounds right but you get my drift dear reader!)
Christmas in Spain seems to be getting bigger and more important every year. Historically it all used to be about the ‘Fiesta de los Reyes,’ otherwise known as the Three Kings arriving early January, but thanks to the internet, children in particular have become aware of Santa Claus and the huge event that Christmas Day creates and strange to tell, all the shops are catering to it with gusto! Personally, I can’t help feeling that Christmas will soon overshadow the more traditional and tradition oriented Three Kings, which would be a bit of a shame, but that’s progress. It will always be an excuse for another Fiesta. Of that there is NO doubt.
So, 2023 will very shortly be upon us then. What will you be doing next year? What did you do this year? If, like us and many others, you are considering moving to Spain and in particular around our beautiful Gandia region, why not drop a line to Sally and the team. Whatever there is to know, they know it. And what they may not be so sure of, they have a hugely knowledgeable LOCAL team of experts who all speak English. We know. That’s why we bought our property here with them. Am I praising them up because I have to? No, I’m praising them up because they can change your way of life for the better, just as they did for us. So …… what are YOU going to be doing in 2023? Maybe you could be living what I have been writing about, instead of just reading about it?
Happy New Year!
From us ex pats post Brexit and Wolfie. Until next time ……
