I’m in Rome for the holidays with my husband, Jon and son, Jordan. Christmas trips for us are motivated by the crass commercialism that we find so offensive in North America. Last year we spent the holidays in Paris and the experience was so beautiful and peaceful, giving us a true Christmas experience that we now find it hard to stay home at this time of year. So we rent an apartment and off we go.

This apartment in Rome is small – it’s pretty tiny. The advertising wasn’t really deceptive, it was just a bit neglectful. Neglectful of the fact that this 2 bedroom apartment is so tiny that everyone has go through the main bedroom to get to the bathroom and they have to go through the second bedroom to get to the kitchen. Neither of these bedrooms has any doors, instead they serve as bedrooms and thoroughfares all at the same time. This means that no one has any privacy. More like beds in hallways with little alcoves. Actually, there is only one door in this apartment and that’s on the bathroom – thank goodness for little things.

It’s so tiny that the coffee table in the living room is pushed right up against the wall but yet it’s somehow still in the middle of the room. It’s so small that when I bent down to get my computer bag beside the dresser, my husband closed the bathroom door on my but.

The internet only works in the living room and barely, if at all in the bedrooms which boggles my mind since this place is so tiny. It’s so small, I can hear my volume pills review son crunching on cereal in his bedroom as I’m sitting here writing in the living room. Yet it’s ours and it’s quaint. We’re centrally located in the historic district of Rome, you couldn’t ask for a better location so I won’t seriously complain.

The weather is spectacular, yet most people here are wearing winter coats; they’re bundled up with wooly hats, leather gloves and scarves wrapped high around their neck. On this beautifully sunny day, the three of us are wearing sweaters feeling the warmth of Rome as we pass by palm tree after palm tree. I guess weather is relative. For Canadians this is beautiful weather, for the Romans, it’s about as bad as it gets!

We walked around in the evening in light jackets. The Christmas lights are spectacular! Blankets of lights draped above the streets, belts of lights wrapped around buildings, giant chandeliers strung overhead and Christmas trees everywhere. We found one beautiful tree covered in white lights and the only other decoration was large gold rings. Oh wait, they’re not rings, they’re Mercedes symbols!

The streets are packed with people – I mean really, really packed, like Time Square at New Years Eve. This is definitely the centre of the world for Christmas and I can tell already, it’s going to be a fantastic holiday. I may or may not keep you posted over the next 2 weeks, but I hope to be posting quick notes on facebook and pictures on pinterest. If I’m not here I’ll be there. Merry Christmas everyone and may you find your own peace and relaxation over the holidays.

Here are some pictures of Rome at Christmas.