Buon Natale!

Ciao! 

Dina here, writing about the time of year I love most! 

What time is that? 

Well, Christmas, of course!!

Since you don’t know me very well, I will try to explain how Christmas makes me feel! To give you a preview, have you ever seen the movie Elf with Will Ferrell? If you have, then when I say my Christmas spirit is larger than his it gives you a small idea, but whether you have seen it or not, I will explain a little more.

When November begins, I start making notes about Christmas presents and different menus for the 25th and 26th. The menu planning is a little silly because, in the end, we always have my favorite dinner for Christmas: Turkey with all the fixings! 

But it is all exciting for me; searching for new recipes, thinking about the best presents, and having Michael Buble sing. Each part creates a holiday spirit I embrace wholeheartedly. 

Ten months of the year, I am happy living in a small home because I don’t have to clean very much. However, from November 1st till January 6th, one of the phrases you will hear me say is, "Once we have a bigger home, I will decorate every single room, and we will have a huge American-style Christmas tree!" I am pretty sure my husband is hoping to keep the small house forever so that he can keep my Christmas decorating under control.

It doesn't work, no matter how hard he tries; there is something about this time of the year that I adore! I let my inner child scream, jump, and be hyper about Christmas, even when people think I might have too much Christmas spirit. 

It is good that my husband knows how to calm my inner child with some hot cocoa and candy canes; otherwise, I might use the plastic in my purse to buy thousands of Christmas ornaments. I mean, really, how many nutcrackers are enough? Ten? Maybe a few more?

But it is more than the decorating, shopping, present planning, and recipe finding. I love everything about the season; the movies, the atmosphere, the food, the snow--  literally, everything related to Natale! 

Why, yes, I am crazy for Christmas, if you haven’t noticed. Oh, you did; well, let me explain a little more about my holiday spirit.

I would love to change the Christmas tree lights and ornaments every year, but my husband thinks I am crazy and tells me no, even when I ask nicely. I have not one, but two Ugly Christmas sweaters, and I absolutely make my dog sit for a Christmas picture, sometimes even with antlers on her head! 

Yes, I love this time of the year… did I mention that already? I am just checking. The reason I want you to know how much I love Christmas is so that you can understand what the next My Box From Italy box means to me.

Now that it is November, and I told you when November begins, so does my holiday spirit, Elena and I began to talk about the December Box, and we just knew immediately that we should call it:

BUON NATALE! = Merry Christmas! 

It's a simple name, but it has so much feeling and spirit attached to the meaning! Not just for us, we believe that Buon Natale has special meaning for everyone who celebrates in their own unique ways during the holiday season.

But our Buon Natale Box didn't just begin on the first of November. No, it has been on our minds for months. In fact, Elena and I started picking the artisans and items all the way back in September because we wanted this Box to be amazing. We really hope that you and the people you choose to give the gift of the Buon Natale Box will have the biggest smile when you see all the beautiful things we have chosen. 

And I hope that you remember when you receive the Buon Natale Box, we had a hand in every single step of its creation. From choosing each item we wanted to include, selecting the perfect Christmas scent, and finally packaging each detail with the love and joy that the holiday season inspires in us. We hope that your Buon Natale Box sparkles with Christmas JOY! 

From our hearts in Florence to yours, wherever you might be, have a Buon Natale.

Dina and Elena