Feliz Navidad

by Nina Croft 

 I’m Nina Croft and I’m English. Though I tend to write aimed at the American market, my characters are usually English and my stories tend to be set in England. So when my fantastic critique group, Passionate Critters, decided to write an anthology of Christmas stories and base them all around the fictional American town of Five Oaks, I knew I was venturing into alien territory.

The heroine of my story, Mid-Winter Magic, is Dina, a witch who has been hiding out in Five Oaks for the last fifty years. As a witch, Dina never really celebrated Christmas. Her family was more into celebrating the mid-winter fire festival of Yule, where they would burn an oak log and dance around it in celebration of the rebirth of the sun. But she’s come to love Christmas in Five Oaks. And while writing I learnt some of the American customs at Christmas and how they differ (a lot!) from English customs.

But though I’m English, I actually live in the mountains of southern Spain. So I thought I’d maybe look at some of the ways the Spanish celebrate the festive season.

Spain is a big country, so I’m sticking to my own little part of it, which is an area known as Las Alpujarras; a spectacularly beautiful region, which lies between the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the north and the Mediterranean, far below us, to the south. It’s also quite remote and so retains a lot of the older customs that have been lost elsewhere in Spain.

The nearest village is Murtas, a small cluster of houses that clings to the side of the mountains. Most of the young people have moved away in search of jobs and a little more excitement than Murtas can offer, leaving the average age of the population somewhere around eighty.

So how do the people of Murtas celebrate Christmas? One of the biggest differences is the food. Here, we’re not far from the Mediterranean, and it’s customary to eat seafood on Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena as it’s called here:  prawns, langoustines, lobster, crab, calamari—delicious.

On Christmas day, one of the most popular dishes is roast suckling pig. Before Christmas, the supermarkets are full of the poor little things—they are cooked whole so there’s no hiding what they are. But they do taste mouth-watering —so tender you’re supposed to be able to cut them with a plate.

On New Year ’s Eve, or Nochevieja, there is a fiesta in the village. All the young people return for the fiestas so the place comes to life. Just before midnight, everyone is handed twelve grapes and a glass of cava (Spanish champagne). On the stroke of midnight, it is traditional to eat the grapes, one on each stroke of the clock to bring good luck for the New Year. Unfortunately, on out first year here, the clock stopped at five to midnight, and we were all left holding our grapes, not knowing what to do. I’m not sure the clock has moved since.

But the biggest difference between Christmas in Spain and England is that children in Spain don’t get their presents on Christmas day, they have to wait until the 6th January—the Feast of the Epiphany—when the Three Kings, Los Reyes Magos arrived in Bethlehem with their gifts. Which means that Christmas seems to go on a lot longer over here.

So, wherever you live, are there any customs that you think are specific to your area—if so what are they? Let me know for a chance to win a paperback copy of A Passionate Christmas, which contains all four of the anthology stories.

What’s in a Mince Pie?

by Nina Croft

**Congratulations to Jennifer Mathis, winner of Nina Croft's giveaway!**

I’m English, and although I tend to write aimed at the American market, my characters are usually English and my stories tend to be set in England. So when my fantastic critique group, Passionate Critters, decided to write an anthology of Christmas stories and base them all around the fictional American town of Five Oaks, I knew I was venturing into alien territory.

I’ve had to become aware of the differences between American English and what we speak back home. It’s not just spelling, like realised and realized, but also actual words. We have lifts, Americans have elevators, we have pavements they have sidewalks. Jumpers are sweaters, cafes are diners, and bonnets are hoods.

And it goes deeper, to the food we eat and the way we celebrate certain festivals. So when I was writing my Christmas story, Mid-Winter Magic, it came as no surprise to discover that there are also big differences between English and American Christmas traditions.

“What’s a mince pie, Nina?”

One of my critique group asked me this question after reading my story. I was shocked—mince pies are a huge Christmas tradition in England. But a bit of research later, and yes—it’s true—Americans do not eat mince pies at Christmas. In fact, it seems many Americans don’t even know what a mince pie is.

When I was young, my parents would always leave a mince pie and a glass of sherry out for Father Christmas on Christmas Eve (and don’t forget the carrot for the reindeer), as a thank you for delivering the presents.

Another custom is that if you eat a mince pie every day from Christmas to Twelfth Night you will have happiness for the next twelve months. The perfect excuse for indulging.

In my story, the heroine, Dina, is a witch who has been hiding out in Five Oaks for the last fifty years. She’s been doing some typically unwitchy things while in hiding and one of them is learning to bake. And she’s quite good at it—go to any bake sale in Five Oaks and Dina’s cakes and pies will be among the best there.

As a witch, Dina never really celebrated Christmas. Her family was more into celebrating the mid-winter fire festival of Yule, where they would burn an oak log and dance around it in celebration of the rebirth of the sun. But still, growing up in England, it was hard not to take in the customs, and like me, Dina has fond memories of English Christmases. It therefore stands to reason that one of the things she would bake at Christmas time is mince pies.

So, the good people of Five Oaks now know what Father Christmas is munching when he sits down to his mince pie. But do you?

If you’d like to have a go at baking your own mince pies, you can find the recipe HERE

I left England a few years back and now live on an almond farm in the remote mountains of Southern Spain. Over here, the customs are different as well. Spanish children don’t get their presents until January 6^th, and they are delivered, not by Father Christmas, but by the three kings, los Reyes Magos. And here, the traditional Spanish Christmas treat is turron, or almond candy.

But I still have happy memories of Christmas in England, and I still eat mince pies.

Leave a comment and let me know what your favorite Christmas food is from your part of the world and get a chance to win a free copy of my novella, Mid-Winter Magic, some Nina Croft goodies, traditional Spanish turron, and some luxury mince pies—decadence guaranteed!

**To Celebrate our '8 Crazy Nights', Decadent Publishing will also be giving the winner one FREE book of their choice from Decadent Publishing**

And check out what else is going on in Five Oaks where a few other couples are having a very Passionate Christmas.

Nina Croft

Find Nina:

ninacroft@hotmail.com

Facebook