L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2022 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 T h e i r d e e p e s t , i n t i m a t e a n d often neglected - as busy as we are o r g a n i z i n g a n d shopping - meaning: that of giving and reminding us the r e a l v a l u e o f e v e r y t h i n g . Christmas celebrations are around the corner, accompa- nied by a whirlwind of things to do (usually, always at the last minute… we just cannot learn from last year's good intentions!) and they have a great power, that of bringing us all back to the point. It's like they had a magnet within: they attract us because they are a time of holiday, fun, shiny store win- dows, Christmas trees and snowmen, decoration along the streets and colorful lights that warm up the night and make the day feel safer. Because of them, we bring down Dear Readers, this Christmas let's rediscover the true meaning of things From the Editor our boxes of delicate ornaments, golden stars and bells from the attic; we find old Christmas cards and even the statuettes of our presepe, a centuries-old tradition in Italy, because it was Saint Francis, the patron of Italy, to "create" this popular representation of the Holy Family in 1223. That's 799 years ago! This is to say that, beyond Faith and the religious and spiritual meaning of Christ- mas, all of which are intrinsically tied to it, traditions are an essential component of the social, familiar and person- al identity of each and every Italian. They aren't a mere ritual to make our homes prettier, they make us part of the country's cultural fabric. These end-of-year festivities are more than a handful of days and feasts to mark on the calendar because of family dinners and outings with friends, visits to relatives and homecomings. They are more than meaningful meetings and phone calls we don't make for the rest of the year. They are the moment many of us use to find an "official" excuse to forget about an ongoing feud or to reconnect with people the comings and goings of life and daily rou- tine led far from our path. They are the "right occasion" to overcome shyness and say special words to express deeply f e l t f e e l i n g s . T h e y a r e t h e m o m e n t t o m a k e a t r u l y thoughtful present to someone special. They are also a time we share with the community, fes- tivities we live with others at church, in the associations we are part of, with our colleagues, and the friends from the gym or the cooking course we joined. Moments of sharing we live in our villages' squares or in busy streets; at the restaurant, surrounded by piping hot dishes and menus, or on the high street while shopping around in stores that are finally full of people again (so many of us, in fact, have been enjoying since the summer the reassur- ing beauty of having faces all around, of hugs to give and hands to shake, along streets finally noisy and chaotic again!). Christmastime is a moment when we rediscover the power of sharing and being together with those we love, snapshots that will become memories to look back at, not only on our cell phones, but especially in our hearts, a place we don't need a full battery to access… During Christmas festivities, we realize we aren't alone in the universe and that we can count on the love and closeness of others, even strangers who simply do some- thing spontaneously nice for us like picking up something we drop in the street or giving us a smile that suddenly makes our days better. When you think of it, our days are a continuous race: meetings, deadlines, kids to bring to a plethora of after- noon activities, trains to catch, clocking in and out of work. All while looking constantly at the watch. We're always in a rush, carried away by a river of urgent duties and millions of thoughts. And then, Christmas comes and we feel we can finally stop for one second: around a fully-laden table or in front of our Christmas tree and presepe, or while we finally buy the right present to say "I love you" to someone. In that very moment, before inexorably returning to our life made of hundreds of phone calls and thousands of texts to send, we rediscover once more the true meaning of everything. Yes, the powerful magnet of Christmas captured our hearts again, presenting us with the real sense of life. This is what we hope will happen to you all, dear readers. Have a beautiful Christmas! Simone Schiavinato, Editor Simone Schiavinato NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS P.O.BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 Member of FUSIE (Federazione Unitaria Stampa Italianaall'Estero), COGITO L'Italo-Americano 610 West Foothill Blvd. Unit D, Monrovia, CA 91016 - Tel.: (626) 359-7715 PLEASE SEND CORRESPONDENCE TO P.O. BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano Newspaper (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization), www.italoamericano.org, is the largest and longest-running Italian newspaper in America, not to mention the cultural and news resource for all things Italian in the US. A bilingual newspaper which repre- sents an historical landmark for the Italian American Communities in the West Coast and throughout the US. L'Italo-Americano benefits from subsidies by the Italian Government, Memberships and Donations intended to support and not interrupt a mission that began in 1908 to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture in the USA Periodicals postage paid at Monrovia, California 91016, and additional mailing offices. PUBLISHER Robert Barbera Grande Ufficiale EDITOR IN CHIEF Simone Schiavinato ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Patrick Abbate EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Barbara Minafra COPY EDITOR Francesca Bezzone LOS ANGELES CONTRIBUTOR Silvia Giudici SAN FRANCISCO CONTRIBUTORS Catherine Accardi Serena Perfetto SEATTLE CONTRIBUTOR Rita Cipalla CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mariella Radaelli, Francesca Bezzone, Luca Ferrari, Stefano Carnevali, Paula Reynolds, Nicoletta Curradi, Generoso D'Agnese, Fabrizio Del Bimbo, Maria Gloria, Chuck Pecoraro, Anthony Di Renzo Serena Perfetto, Kenneth Scambray, Chiara D'Alessio © 2020 L'Italo-Americano Membership: One year $59 - Single copy $2.25 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to L'Italo Americano PO Box 6528 Altadena, CA 91003 P.O.BOX 6528, ALTADENA, CA 91003

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