20 Ways to Make Your Holiday Season More Italian

Have you ever played Panforte?

Note: This article was written by a previous contributor - Rachel Vermiglio Smith - and has been updated with new information. Rachel graduated with a degree in Italian language and literature. After falling in love with Italian art as well, she went on for a master’s in art history with a focus on the Italian Renaissance. You can follow her on Instagram @theitalianista.

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If you love this time of year and all things Italy, but you’re having trouble finding time to study Italian during the holidays, this article is for you!

Sometimes at this time of year as family, friends and travel obligations distract us, it’s easy to let our commitment to studying fall to the side.

However, with these ideas, you can incorporate Italian into everything you normally do this season. Plus, it includes a list of 25 Christmas-themed vocabulary to learn.

Buon divertimento!

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1.) Bake Italian Christmas cookies.

Instead of baking traditional Christmas cookies, why not make Italian cookies using an Italian recipe? My favorite Italian Christmas cookies are i ricciarelli. A great recipe can be found here.

Irene, the native editor, says she used to make Christmas tree pastries (Alberello di Natale di pasta sfoglia). She recommended this recipe.

2.) Send Italian holiday cards.

First, write your message entirely in Italian using Beatrice’s guide here. Some examples from her article include:

• Ad una amica per me molto speciale. Tantissimi auguri di Buon Natale.

• Quest’anno il mio Natale sarà ancora più bello perché ho conosciuto una persona veramente molto speciale.

• Le cose più belle della vita non si trovano sotto l’albero ma nelle persone che ti stanno vicino nei momenti speciali. Buon Natale!

If you want to download some free Italian-themed Christmas cards, click here. 

3.) Bake or buy, then eat, panettone for desert

With a birthplace in Milan, panettone is a sweet bread that resembles a fruitcake. Read about the interesting history behind panettone in this article.

4.) Learn an Italian holiday song.

My favorite from my childhood is La Befana. Here’s a fun version. 

Some other songs can be found here.

5.) Put up a nativity scene or presepio.

These are all over Italy during the holidays!

Read more about them here. 

6.) Enjoy the feast of the seven fishes, by making seven courses out of seafood, on Christmas Eve.

The feast of seven fishes is more of an American holiday, but fish is often traditionally served on Christmas Eve, just not always in 7 courses.

7.) Play panforte with your family.