December, Happy Holidays from Open Celery!

It’s that time again! Can you hear the merry tunes? The holidays season (*) – with Christmas and New Year’s Eve – is upon us, just around the corner. So, it must be December, Happy Holidays from Open Celery!

Welcome to Open Celery! (Apriti Sedano!) our midmonth newsletter. A four-handed gourmet adventure dedicated to plant-based recipes, stories and ‘spontaneous’ advice… made in Italy 🇮🇹 The fruit (veggie and dessert) of the collaboration between Simona (Personal Chef) and Orsola (Gourmet Traveler+)

Published in Italian (on ottimoblog.com) and English (on appetibilis.net, here happily edited and translated by Orsola). At some point, we’d like to have it as podcast as well 😀 

(Cliccate qui per “Apriti Sedano!” in italiano)

It’s been a while since we’ve been feeling the lovely Christmas mood, hasn’t it? Actually, for us in Italy, the prepping for the festivities begins at the end of October – sometime after Ferragosto (August 15) – when we start saying “It won’t be long now until Christmas!”

Either way, it’s a time when we get together to celebrate our love for one another… through the ancient tradition of consumerism 🙃

Now, even though our newsletter comes out around the 15th of each month, we thought we’d share anyway some unsolicited gift-giving advice (with a dash of wit and wisdom here and there). It’s for those still looking for some ideas, hoping you’ll find our mini guide to surviving the holidays helpful.

In any case, and for anyone who’s just now catching up, congratulations and welcome aboard! We hope you enjoy the last-minute shopping and wish you the best of luck!

“The distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion”
Albert Einstein

Last-Minute (Unsolicited) Holidays Survival Mini Guide

Here’s our Last-minute (unsolicited) Holidays survival mini guide, with few tips for those of you who like gifts-giving and are looking for a little help with the holidays prepping.

It all depends on a few things going well, starting with a couple of “let’s hope that…”:

you were able to get started early with your shopping!
- In the Christmas shopping universe, the first to arrive doesn’t always get a medal. But they do get the best deals and the widest selection.
You have set a budget for a conscious spending.
- Money might not buy happiness, so they say, but it does offer peace of mind! Especially if you haven’t maxed out your credit card on excessive shopping.
You thought about online shopping
- It’s a great way to save money, especially since you can do it from the comfort of your couch. The only real challenge is getting a good Wi-Fi signal and making sure you have enough credit on your card.

To be fair, though, visiting Christmas markets – which are full of lovely handmade products – would be great for everyone involved: like the artisans and the people who are looking for unique gifts… That way, there’s no chance for the “makers” being listed as endangered category. Yes, there is the HCA Red List of Endangered Crafts.

Here are a few tips on how to prepare:

If you opted to shopping in-person, just keep calm and stay cool (you could always have some dessert later!).
- Don’t let the guy in the car in front get to you. You’re there to have fun! And be patient when the checkout line is long. Bear in mind that you’re buying for your loved ones.
Remember to drink.
- Being well hydrated is important (water, herbal tea or coffee are OK!!!).
- The “bubbles” (as Prosecco or Champagne) are for later, otherwise you may get overly distracted with your shopping!

What to buy for a foodie?

Well, you get them food! Literally or in some form

Pick wisely by taking into account their tastes, and/or yours, if you eat with them often!
Alternatively, why not offer a cooking class or a workshop, perhaps with yoga sessions? These are great experiential experiences for food lovers who like to stay fit.
Or a good cookbook, for foodies who want to enjoy healthy(ish) meals without feeling too guilty about it.

And as for gifts, we’re all set 🥳

Christmas with your family and… Dinner, Lunch and New Year’s Eve!

Christmas with your folks, and… Dinner, Lunch and New Year’s Eve! That is! Christmas Eve at your house, lunch at your partner’s place, and New Year’s Eve dinner – who knows where!

“Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi”
(Italian proverb)

The Italian saying “Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi” means “Christmas with your family, Easter with whomever you want”. It shows that Christmas is a time to spend with your nearest and dearest, while Easter is a time when you can choose who to spend it with… And for some it isn’t always a happy time.

Next. Let’s hear from those of you who have been bringing food from home on these occasions for years! 👋 👋 We know, it’s a matter of survival

This year, we propose one recipe that’s guaranteed to impress: “Conchiglioni pasta filled with a plant-based pumpkin ragout” (with tips for the gluten-free version). It looks great, taste amazing and is easy to carry around. Because it is a baked pasta, you can take the dish to your mother-in-law’s house!

If you need more tips, look no further than our “The Holidays Menu: Easy Peasy… not too easy!” from Open Celery! December 2023. It’s got everything you need to know for a delicious holiday menu.

And here we are, wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you next year!

P.S. Did you remember to write the little letter to Santa Claus? You never know what might happen… Better be ready, just in case 🎅🧑‍🎄

E se invece venisse per davvero?/ Se la preghiera, la letterina, il desiderio/ espresso così, più che altro per gioco/ venisse preso sul serio?
Buon Natale (Merry Christmas) by Dino Buzzati

What if he came for real?/ What if the prayer, the little letter, the wish/ expressed like this, more for fun than anything else/ was taken seriously?

(*) Regarding other December festivities, here’re some of them:

The Winter Solstice on the 21st… “winter is coming!”
Hanukkah from the 25th to the 2nd of January
National Leftovers Day is on the 27th (please be mindful, and remember about all those tasty bites parked in the refrigerator). And then…
on the 31st, we’ll have the National Champagne Day, just in time for New Year’s Eve! 🥳

Interesting Links

Newsletter italiana: È dicembre, Buone Feste da Apriti sedano!

More on “Open Selery!” (Apriti Sedano!) Newsletter

ockstyle

I’m an Italian gluten-free Gourmet Traveler+ and a passionate storyteller, writing in English and Italian. Fluently speaking (eating and dreaming) in Italian, English, French, and Russian. When I’m not writing, I cook and test recipes for special diets, and photograph (also on film). Not necessarily in that order. — / — Sono una viaggiatrice buongustaia (la Gourmet Traveler+) senza glutine, appassionata narratrice di storie. Scrivo in italiano e inglese, parlo (mangio e sogno) fluentemente in italiano, inglese, francese e russo. Quando non scrivo, cucino, testo ricette dolci e salate per diete speciali, fotografo (anche in pellicola). Non necessariamente in quest’ordine.