Christmas, snow and lights

Where do they have the (possibly) best Christmas lights? Well, in Torino of course!

I know - this probably comes across as a personal bias towards this city, but the truth is that in no other place have I seen Christmas lights like here. They go beyond the snowflake-and-candle motives - each street or square set is unique, designed by a different artist, often surprising, and simply pretty. It's worth to wander around the town just to see the lights.

So here is a selection of my favourite ones.

Also the Mole Antonelliana got its Christmas decoration this year

A story as Christmas lights. As much as the story itself is somehow disappointing, the idea is great

Star constellations!

The beginning of December was very cold, with snowfall even in town. With Miky we used the cold weather combined with (upcoming) Christmas as an excuse to give ourselves a treat - snowshoes - and took advantage of the early snow to test them in Valle Orco.

They worked.

Doesn't look like it, but my fingers almost froze off by the time I set up this photo

 

 And as a by-product of the day in the snow, we produced our first Christmas card. 

Christmas itself was then at home - a warm fuzzy time, with my family, surrounded by love (and filled with wine). Blisfully, a number of years back we had cancelled - to everyone's great satisfaction - Christmas presents, removing a major source of stress and leaving the holidays as simply being together.

Being with family, and also drinking punč

But there is one person who wasn't there, and who won't be there again - and I still haven't really understood how that is even possible. I'll miss her incredibly.