Christmas Eve with the Comellini Family

This is my friend, Kikka. She is an architect who spent a semester studying at the University of Arkansas. She and her family invited us to spend Christmas Eve with them.



Here she is with her "fidanzato," Riccardo. And below is her mother, Alessandra, from whom Kikka gets her artistic talent.



Here parents are very dear people. Her dad, Fabio, likes to post cartoons to Facebook.



Below is Kikka's younger sister, Faby, who a year and a half ago gave up her bedroom so I would have a place to stay. With Faby is her boyfriend, Federico.



Kikka also owns a cat, Rosso, who still lives with her parents because Riccardo is allergic to cats. Hopefully, that will change in the next year--Riccardo is starting allergy treatments. I mention this because Alessandra and Fabio have a lot of mementos about the house. We wondered how they kept Rosso off of the breakables. The key to this is to have so many breakables on the surfaces that the cat is afraid to get on anything!



Typically, Italians eat fish on Christmas Eve. I asked Kikka about this, and it seems to be penitential, as in Lent. This is worth noting because with the help of Riccardo and Federico, Alessandra spent the day cooking. And this is what Bill and I could remember of the dishes served:

Red and black caviar on toast points
Shrimp cocktail
Individual pizzas on puff pastry
Olives marinated with oranges
Anchovy mousse with crackers
Baby fish deep fried and then marinated in vinegar
Spicy hot (fresh, not canned) anchovies
Country bread
Spinach lasagna with a fish filling
Gnocchi with cream cheese and salmon
Fritto misto (fried mix) of fish battered with nutty crumbs
Octopus with celery
Russian salad
Pointy salad (this is some kind of lettuce--Americans would compare it to an arugula)
Octopus salad with carrots
Pand'oro
Torone--white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and one other kind
Prosecco
Vin Santo
Digestivo (an herbal flavored after-dinner liqueur)
Espresso (in the cutest cups)

I think that's all. So here's the first course!



After dinner (about midnight), it was time to open presents. Look what Kikka gave me! A purse from Fendi (while working on her degree, she interned at Fendi). Her mom and dad gave me a fantastic Italian design book and gave Bill a Roma journal where he can record our favorite restaurants (and even includes maps at the back). In addition, Bill got some special Christmas biscotti. Yum!!!



A picture of Kikka and me.



I was amused by this present. It's a checkers drinking game. Apparently, you fill the little cups with your favorite beverage (probably not Coke!). When you jump your opponent, you get to drink what you capture! Note that half the "checkers" are frosted glass, while the other half are clear glass--just so you can keep it straight (at least half-way through the game)!



For me, the next picture depicts the joy of giving. Fabio is opening his favorite present, a small woodworking/wood carving set. I want to call it a dreidel, but I think that's the Jewish top at Chanukah. Anyway, Fabio was like a little boy for the rest of the evening--just playing with all of the little drill bits and stuff.



And here is the joy of receiving. Fabio gave Alessandra a really pretty necklace, so she gave him a kiss.



Kikka and her mom tickled about something.



And finally, Daddy's little girl.



Needless, to say, we have never experienced a Christmas Eve like this. We got home about 2:30 am on Christmas Day. I think even the Midnight Mass at the Vatican had ended by that time!