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It seems the month of December is the time of gift giving regardless of your religious affiliation or nationality. This is especially true in the United States, where the image of Santa Claus is emblazoned everywhere since late November. Other countries have their own version of a benevolent older gentleman who gives out gifts in December, usually...

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Entering the holiday season (which we Americans kicked off on November 22 with our Thanksgiving), perhaps you’re looking forward to some time with family and friends, some good food, and maybe even a long-awaited vacation. For many of my fellow citizens, this vacation will be a once-in-a-lifetime holiday to Florence or Tuscany. It’s also a time to...

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On Sunday, December 16, the The Saint Leonard Choral Society accompanied by The North End Chamber Orchestra will perform its Annual Christmas Concert. The concert will be led by Musical Director Dr. Dan Drzymalski, assisted by Mr. Jake Hudgins. Continuing with tradition, the concert will be held in the lovely setting of Historic Sacred Heart Italia...

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I have fond memories celebrating the Christmas season with my Italian family. Besides the religious observances, the exceptional food and baked goods were an enjoyable part of it. The season started early, right after Thanksgiving, with the baking of tons of cookies and cakes.  As cookies go, there were the tarralle, pizzella, mastachioli, which, a...

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Started as a Southern Italian tradition, the Feast of the Seven Fishes is a traditional Christmas Eve meal rekindled by Italian-American families. Restaurants around DC have crafted their own renditions, celebrating coastal cuisine with special menus on (and around) Monday, December 24th. Al Dente3201 New Mexico Ave., NWJames Beard award-winning ch...

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We know that John Miniero, a very charitable Brooklynite, displays an extraordinary Neapolitan Presepio outside his home each Christmas season.  The must-see display is located at 14th Avenue and 80th Street. But what some folks don't know is that the artist agreed to do an indoor display of his masterpiece at Casa Belvedere, the Italian Cultural C...

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Baccalà is cod fish preserved by packing it in salt and drying—great as an appetizer or as a main course. Where my parents come from, the Campanià region of Italy, it’s was cheap and kept well without refrigeration, which made it an ideal food on Fridays when meat was not eaten. Growing up, Baccalà was always part of  La Vigilia—feast of the seven...

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The holiday table is set. A winter village occupies a portion of the neighboring room. Italian hospitality abounds. The family behind Vacaville’s La Borgata Winery and Deli is opening their Italiante farmhouse for this year’s Vacaville Museum Build Holiday Homes tour Saturday. Proceeds benefit the Vacaville Museum. The 7,200-square-foot abode was b...

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Where else can you see 25-foot toy soldiers, a two-story Santa, or a house decked out with 30,000 lights other than Dyker Heights, Brooklyn. The suburban neighborhood, historically a quiet, Italian-American enclave, has been putting on its legendary holiday spectacle since 1986, when Lucy Spata moved to the area. Her over-the-top Christmas displays...

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Being the son and grandson of two excellent home and professional bakers, my mother and grandmother, I probably have a unique perspective on the Christmas season. As I've shared many times before, beginning in the first week of December those two wonderful cooks started their holiday baking, an expression of their philosophy that you could never ha...

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