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A Very Hutch christmas...

Posted on 21 December 2021

How do Hutchies do Christmas? We wanted to give you a window onto our festive world, so we asked a trio of Hutch folk to share their stories. Here’s Viv, Dave and Arturo on what Christmas means to them…

Viv Nip, QA on Top Drives (London office)

My traditional Christmas usually involves a load of my relatives coming over and my Mum single-handedly cooking a whole feast for us all. She generally cooks up some roast chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, fish, pigs in blankets, Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, stuffing, gravy and Yorkshire puddings.

We eat, pull some Christmas crackers, drink champagne, wine and beer together and give each other gifts from around the tree. My siblings and cousins sometimes play some games together whilst the parents play some mahjong. We also usually get a little outfit for our dog, Leng Leng, which she hates, but she looks too cute in them.

Dave Thomson, Senior Programmer (Canada Office)

Christmas for the Thomsons is all about getting our full Griswold on. No fake Christmas trees for us, every year we head on into the wilderness that is Kevin's U-Cut, to find, chop and bring home that perfect tree. We then fill up with hot chocolate, apple cider and cookies before hitting the road on the beautiful trip back to Mahone Bay.

The house of course has to be fully illuminated, although we do cheat a bit and use lasers. Our power bill still takes a hammering, but it's worth every penny to see the kids faces that first time you flick the switch.

In years gone by Christmas wouldn't actually be complete without watching the Christmas Vacation movie, but lately we have changed the tradition a bit and instead watch Daddy's Home 2, a real Christmas delight. After all, who doesn't love a bit of Will Ferrell at Christmas time, even if he is not dressed up as an Elf. Traditions can come and go, but the love around Christmas time is forever!

Arturo Bonetti, Localisation Manager (London office)

Traditionally, Christmas in Sicily is all about eating and getting together with family and friends. Before you scramble to book flights, a word of warning: the holidays are a serious affair in Southern Italy, involving several meals starting with Christmas Eve dinner, followed by lunch on Christmas day, before digging our forks in again at NYE dinner, as well as New Year’s Day for lunch. Following that is a month of setting and shattering the same old New Year’s resolution never to eat that much ever again. If you’re an expat with an unbridled passion for food like me, it’s… well, it’s like Christmas!

The beauty about food in Italy is that it changes from region to region, and so does a traditional Christmas meal. Where I’m from, cheese and charcuterie are served as appetisers, fish tends to feature heavily, and we eat Panettone for dessert - a type of sweet bread with raisins, enriched with some sort of filling (pistachio cream is a favourite in Sicily). If that sparks interest, it’s become a common sight across shops and delis in England so go grab one!

Another tradition is card games - aside from the classic playing cards used for poker, each region has its own deck featuring a unique art style, and its own games that are passed on from each generation to the next. It’s definitely one of the things I miss the most: there’s nothing like cramming a small living room with friends, drinking and laughing until it’s early morning. I’ve lived in England for years and without fail, I take out my Sicilian cards deck every Christmas holiday. This is one of those traditions from your childhood that helps foster a sense of belonging, particularly when you’re far from home.

Whatever you’re doing this Christmas, from everyone at Hutch… we hope you have a happy holiday!