Happy Holidays From Spark of Sicily

Annija

24 Dec 2025 — 4 min read

Christmas in Sicily has been a genuinely special experience for us.

Not because Christmas itself is unique here. People enjoy this season everywhere. But because of how Sicily approaches it. With imagination. With atmosphere. With an eye for detail that feels intentional rather than excessive.

The lights are not just decoration. They change how places feel. Streets you know suddenly look unfamiliar. Buildings gain depth. Evenings slow down.

What stands out most is that there is no single Sicilian Christmas. Every town seems to interpret it differently. And seeing those differences has been one of the quiet joys of this season.

Erice. The ultimate Christmas wonderland

Erice felt like a Christmas wonderland.

A fairytale, honestly. One that we were incredibly privileged to be part of.

When we visited, the town was wrapped in clouds. Not just around it, but inside it. The same clouds moved slowly through the streets, drifting between the houses and softening everything they touched.

That fog created a kind of Christmas magic I have never experienced before.

Lights shone through it. People disappeared into it. Music came out of it.

Sometimes you could hear sounds before you could see where they were coming from. The fog blurred distances and made everything feel suspended, as if the town existed slightly outside of time.

I almost had tears in my eyes. Truly.

There are no words that fully capture what we experienced that day. It felt like the whole town had come outside simply to be together and enjoy this moment of pure magic and hope. Not rushed. Not staged. Just present.

The theatrical performances made it even more special. People dressed in medieval clothing, portraying presepi. Others playing music in small corners of the town. If you have ever thought how it might be to step into a beautiful Christmas movie, this is it.

I will forever be grateful that I got to experience this Christmas magic.

My only question is whether Erice is always like this during the holidays, or whether we were blessed with a day that simply cannot be repeated.

Either way, if you are in Sicily during the Christmas season, Erice is a must in my opinion.

Palermo - the Christmas royalty

Palermo could not have been more different. And that contrast is exactly what made it unforgettable.

Seeing the Christmas decorations around Teatro Massimo genuinely stopped me in my tracks. One of those rare moments when you do not just notice something beautiful, but physically react to it.

I gasped. Loudly. Like a child seeing Santa or something. 😃

In my 30 years of life, I can honestly say I have never seen Christmas decorations this beautiful. They were confident and elegant. Rich without being overwhelming. Festive without crossing into excess.

Christmas royalty. These are the only words that come to mind if I have to even try to describe these decorations.

And this praise comes from someone who takes Christmas decorations very seriously. I am THAT person.

Lights across the island

It is not just Erice or Palermo.

Across Sicily, towns and cities put real thought into their Christmas lights. Not only in main squares, but along the streets where people actually live. Evening walks feel different. Slower. More observant.

Places you pass every day suddenly ask you to look again.

Seeing Sicily like this has not felt like discovering something new, but like seeing something familiar from a better angle.

Our very unconventional Christmas tree

This year, we decided not to have a traditional Christmas tree at home.

No worries. We have not turned into Scrooges.

We simply wanted something different. Something that would stay with us long after the holidays are over.

So yes, we have a Christmas lemon tree. Just a yellow Christmas tree (if you get the song reference 😄)

And the single mushroom ornament hanging on it is a small nod to my Latvian roots. Latvians do not mess around when it comes to picking mushrooms. If you know, you know.🍄