Guests of private or public parties are sometimes entertained with a game called "Tombola", similar to Bingo. The New Year is also celebrated with spumante or prosecco, Italian sparkling wine. New Years parties, whether public or private, will often last until sunrise in order to watch the first sunrise of the newborn year. An old custom that is still followed in some places, especially in the south, is throwing your old things out the window to symbolize your readiness to accept the New Year. So, keep an eye out for falling objects if you're walking around near midnight!

Oh, one more thing, don't forget to wear your red underwear to ring in the new year! They say it'll bring you luck in the coming year.

Cookies have always played an important part in Italian cuisine, whether they are consumed for breakfast with a cappuccino, or nibbled with a quick shot of espresso at a mid-morning or afternoon break. It is at holiday time however, particularly Christmas, when cookies truly shine. In almost any Italian home, whether it be in Italy, or here in North America, most families prepare specific traditional cookies each Christmas, and often those recipes have been handed down through their families for generations.

In Italy, the generic term biscotti, pretty well covers all types of cookies, although biscotti literally translates as twice baked. Here in the US, we know biscotti to be the hard, crescent shaped cookies that have become so popular recently. It is not unusual in Italy, to find the same cookie in many different regions, given a different name in each. Many cookies are given names from folklore, or fairy tales, such as brutti ma buoni, which means ugly but good, or baci di dama, or lady's kisses. Most Italian cookies are either made from nut paste or are butter based, and are in general not overly sweet. Visit any Italian household throughout the holidays, and you can almost be assured of being offered a tasty treat from the cookie tray.

If you are interested in preparing your own Italian cookie tray this year, you might be interested in the following tips for baking cookies, as well as my favorite Christmas cookie recipes that follow.

Cookie Baking Tips:

• Always preheat the oven for even baking.
• Place cookies on cold baking sheets.
• Place the baking sheets at least two inches from the wall of the oven for even baking.
• If baking two trays at one time, switch the top and bottom tray mid way through the baking period.
• Don't depend on the suggested baking time. There are many factors that can affect how long your cookies will bake. Check your cookies a couple of minutes before the recommended time.
• Once cookies are fully baked, remove them from the hot baking sheets to wire racks to cool, because the cookies will continue to cook on the hot trays.
• Do not store cookies until they have thoroughly cooled. Store in an air-tight container.

The Umbrian city of Gubbio has a spectacular way to mark the end of Christmas. 800 water fountains illuminated with thousands of lights form a gigantic Christmas tree climbing the side of Mount Igino. The ‘biggest Christmas tree in the World’ (according to the Guinness Book of Records) is on show from 1-10 January and is absolutely spectacular.

Epiphany (Befana) rolls along on 6 January, a Catholic holiday vying with Christmas for importance. Epiphany celebrates the arrival of the Magi. Legend has it that the Wise Men asked an old woman for shelter. The woman (La Befana) refused, and has been wandering the planet ever since looking for the baby Jesus. Epiphany Eve (5 January) sees a good witch flying from rooftop to rooftop with gifts for children who’ve been good. If that sounds familiar, it’s a variation on the same folk tales that have come down to us as Father Christmas, with La Befana even popping down the chimney.

Travel to the Abruzzo region on 16 January and you can enjoy the Farchia festival. The people of the marvellously named mountain town of Fara Filiorum Petri construct 30ft bundles (fasce) of sticks, stand them on end and burn them like tapers. Songs are sung to celebrate Saint Antonio’s Day, and then it’s open house for a feast of sweets, wines and local spirit.

Carnivals or Carnevale are celebrated all over Italy, strictly speaking it is the lead up to Lent. Venice has a tremendous fortnight-long masked event and the celebrations on the Tuscan seaside resort of Viareggio are world famous. But the little Tuscan city of Foiano della Chiana, near Arezzo, claims its celebration as the oldest in the region, with the first Carnevale taking place on 18 January, 1809, 64 years before Viareggio. With parades of giant floats, colourful masks and costumes, music and dancing, and a feast of good food on sale in the streets, this is great fun for families. And if you’re used to carnivals running over a day or two … not in Italy. The celebrations here run from the last Sunday in January to the third Sunday in February.

Just north of Bologna, the Emilia-Romagna town of Cento is ‘twinned’ with the rather more famous Rio Carnival, with the winning float being shipped off to Brazil. The Cento events make Foiano appear a mere newcomer, with the city proudly pointing to artist Guercino’s painting of 1615 Maschere Folleggianti which depicts the celebrations. This is a serious business, with a guild of float makers training apprentices in the old craft. The spectacular celebrations culminate in 30,000 pounds of sweets being thrown to the crowds. The carnival runs for around a month from the penultimate Sunday in January.

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I am often amazed at technology - it actually inspires me. If you would have asked me 10 years ago if I would have an online business I would have said - "what"? Today, technology and the Internet makes it possible for me to share my favorite things with other people. It is much like a dream come true. I don't use computers to do my design work, but I do use computers to share my work with the world. Today while trying to decide what to blog about, I began looking through pictures from my travels around home (Italy) - and I suppose I am a little bit homesick at the moment also. I use google for a lot of things, my e-mail, my blog and the list goes on here, but my point is that I came across the Picasa picture program and I downloaded it - it took all the pictures from my files and organized them, (WOW!), and it also has a lot of very neat tools as well. It took a while for the program to scan all my files, but once it was complete I ended up playing around with the program for a while. I was able to create a collage of pictures from Rome and I even scanned some new designs I have been working on - just rough drafts but it put them into a new perspective which helped me feel more creative. Anyway, check it out if you get a chance - it is free and has some great features. In fact, I came up with a great idea for a Christmas gift for a good friend. After all a picture is worth a thousand words! Click here to get to the program!

I must say I usually make these several times a year but this recipe is certainly a must during the holiday season. The best part about these treats is simple, they are easy to make, simply delicious and it takes no time at all!

SPUMETTI (Chocolate-Hazelnut Meringues)

1lb. Hazelnut meats, coarsely chopped
1lb. Confectioner's sugar
1oz. Cocoa (Table Spoon)
2tsp. Cinnamon (Tea Spoon)
6 Egg whites

Preheat the over to 325F. Cut baking pan liner to fit 2 baking sheets and lightly grease. Mix hazelnuts, sugar, cocoa, and cinnamon in a large bowl; add egg whites and mix well until blended - about 5 minutes. Wet hands and break off small pieces of mixture (about 1tablespoon) and shape into round balls. Place on baking sheets, 1 inch apart and bake for approximately 30 minutes. This will make about 3/12 dozen!

Writing about all these holiday traditions has sincerely made me a little bit home sick! I know many of you have similar traditions and I hope you will share them by leaving a brief comment or sharing them with me via e-mail, I will gladly repost them. Today I want to share a very familiar Italian tradition which is know as the "Burning of the Yule Log". This tradition is shared by many cultures and has several different and significant meanings. The log is placed in the fireplace and it must burn all night log. For many it represents the purifying and revitalizing power of fire, and that with the burning of the log the old year and its evils are destroyed. Christian legend tells of how the Virgin Mary enters the homes of the humble at midnight and warms her newborn child before the blazing log. For me, this tradition is a mixture of many traditions and we typically sing songs, tell stories, and share the good and the bad of the past year. All our triumphs, successes and challenges. We keep a bit of the burned log to start the next years Yule Log, and save some of the ashes. The ashes are good luck and are nurturing. We have some beautiful fruit trees in the back garden and I usually place a some of the ashes at the base of the trees and plant - welcoming a fruitful season!

This is one of my favorite holiday traditions in Italy. On Christmas Eve, children set out their shoes for the female Santa Claus, La Befana, to fill with gifts of all kinda like toy's candies and fruit. If the children have been good all year long, their shoes are filled on Christmas morning. If the children have not been good ---- their shoes are filled with coal. La Befana is the best-know legend in Italy. She is usually portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick and wearing a black shawl covered in soot because she enters the children's homes through the chimney. She is often smiling and carries a bag filled with candy and gifts. Here is little poem about La Befana.

La Befana vien di notte
Con le scarpe tutte rotte
Col vestito alla romana
Viva, Viva La Befana!

I wanted to take a moment to share my Home Collection of rich Italian dinnerware with you, so with out further a due, welcome to the Rita Monti Home Collection. Hand-formed and hand-painted works of art for your table. The table settings in my Home Collection reflect the character of their name-sakes in color, line and emotion. Each creation will vary slightly, as each piece is hand-formed on a potter’s wheel and hand-painted in the traditional methods that are the hallmarks of the ceramic artisan. The Rita Monti Home Collection brings the culture and vitality of the Italian lifestyle from my home to yours. Our collection has been featured in fine stores such as Williams-Sonoma and Neiman Marcos. Today our collection is available exclusively from our import facility in Florida and can be purchased online and carefully shipped directly to your door. Our focus has always been to share the Italian Way of Life with others, and our online process allows us to make this possible in a more affordable fashion.

One of my favorite and most popular collections is the Roma Collection. The brilliant yellow of the sun has illuminated Roman art from the times of the Empire through the Italian Renaissance. My Roma Collection reflects the magnificent glory and sensations of Italy's Eternal City. Vibrant color and traditional braided designs merge to create works of delicate elegance, allowing anyone to possess the spirit of eternity.

When I refer to "scenes" I am taking about the elaborate nativity scenes which are most certainly a part of the Italian holiday tradition. Bear with me here, I want to talk about the traditions but I also don't want to offend anyone in regards to religious affiliation so, please know that it not my point. These "Scenes" consist of figures, in clay or plaster, of the infant Jesus, Mary and Joseph. An ox and a donkey nearby because legend has it that they warmed the child with their breath. It is around this basic focal point that individual artisans create their own intricate landscapes. There may be grottoes, small trees, lakes, rivers, the lights of "Bethlehem" in the background, angels hung from wires, and occasionally, even local heroes. The most elaborate scenes are usually set up in churches. There is also often a contest between churches of the same town for the best scene. It is also custom to stroll from church to church to view and compare.

Is there a custom you would like to talk about? Let us know!