The Maltese sure like to celebrate, and Christmas is no exception, with decorations dominating house facades from early November (cringe). Yes, as soon as Halloween’s been and gone, some households think it appropriate to fully decorate their homes for all to see, others following suit later on. And now its December and deemed acceptable, here are the 5 decorations you're likely to find in (most) Maltese homes.
1. Cribs
Thinking of Christmas cribs takes me back to my grandmother’s house, where little figurines were carefully placed in a sequence at very precise moments throughout the Advent calendar. This was a failed mission in our family home; with sheep randomly disappearing from their spots and appearing in the cat’s bed a few days later. Not an animal-friendly tradition in the slightest!
2. Santas
Well, if your kids still believe in Santa, they’ll be sure to question how and why some 20 Santa Clauses were caught climbing into people’s houses in early December. If that didn’t shock them, I’m sure the few Santas who fell to their ‘death’ during the rough weather will find it a tad difficult to get down the chimneys world-wide.
3. Ponzjettas
These are big red flowers that adorn most local mantle pieces for the Christmas period. Of course, as subjective as their beauty may be, ponzjetti are sure to find their way into your home at this time of year; they make excellent gifts, so if you're not keen, as soon as you get one, you can easily re-gift it.
4. Tinsel
This is a tricky situation, most Christmas trees can’t pull-off the ‘no tinsel’ look, leaving the faux-plants with a naked look that isn’t too attractive on a cosy Christmas night. Tinsel is a terribly kitsch decoration staple that we all kind of love to hate, but would it really be Christmas without it?
5. Panettone Stacks
The best seller in Maltese supermarkets, the most hated dessert on the island and the food item voted most likely to run way past its sell-by date. It’s just bread. Bread with bits of candied fruit scattered throughout the sweetened dough - oh and don’t forget to sprinkle the icing sugar on it… for some odd reason, some people look forward to this ‘dessert’... can't think why!
Even though it may not be ‘acceptable’ to decorate your house in the early months of November; and you know you’ll have about six panettones in your cupboard by 17th December, who cares? You do you! It’s Christmas everyone - get your tinsel on!