Seasonal Musings from the Selvedge Team - Florencia Hurtado, Creative Director
What is Christmas for Me?
I celebrate the religious milestone of the birth of Jesus, but apart from that, this time of year is mainly emotional and helps us stay focused. For me, Christmas is a time to gather and share with those we love the most; to give thanks, remember, laugh, and sometimes cry.
My husband, Clemente, and my daughter, Elisa (who is 2 years old), are at the heart of my family, and we are also expecting a second child in March. Celebrating Christmas together is something we look forward to throughout the year—it’s the most important time for us.
I love Christmas and find all its associated traditions to be utterly charming: the wreaths, the decorated tree, the lights, the stockings, the advent calendar, the biscuits, the carols, Santa Claus, and the elves. Everything centres on sharing, being together, showing gratitude, and celebrating.
Baking Christmas biscuits in early December, placing them in a ceramic jar shaped like a snowman, and trying to make them last until Christmas (which was never easy) was a beloved tradition in my parents’ house. In Clemente's family, one cherished custom was having treats in their Christmas stockings on the morning of the 25th. Every family and country has its own traditions, such as lighting a candle every Sunday on the advent wreath, taking a treat each day from the advent calendar, seeing what mischief the Christmas elf got up to every morning, cooking the Christmas turkey, preparing a variety of side dishes and desserts, playing Secret Santa with friends and family, wearing festive sweaters, dressing in red, putting out beautiful Christmas napkins, and so many more.
This Christmas, my family and I combined the traditions we loved most from each of our families and created our own. We opened the advent calendar daily, enjoyed the treats inside, and lit the candles on the advent wreath. We decorated the Christmas tree with ornaments we had collected from different places and times, baked biscuits, and lit a candle with a festive scent to make the house smell like Christmas. I made an advent wreath for the door, and we hung stockings to fill with sweets on Christmas Day.
What Christmas traditions do you have?
I wish you all a lovely Christmas and hope you celebrate it in the way that feels most meaningful to you.
Warm wishes,
Florencia Hurtado
Creative Director, Selvedge Magazine