December Love Letter

Christmas is coming: There’s snow on the mountains, the air is crisp, and the smell of roasted chestnuts wafts through the streets. All around town, shops and organizations are setting up Belénes, reproductions of Bethlehem. The figurines for the Holy Family, baby Jesús, and the ever-popular Reyes Magos (wise men) come in various sizes, styles, and materials. Some sets are beautiful antiques lovingly handed down through generations.

While humbler shops may only have a manger scene in their window, bigger companies and churches put on grandiose displays with running streams, working windmills, and colored lights. The city sets up one at Plaza Mayor that includes dozens of buildings and hundreds of figures.

While families and shopkeepers like to do it themselves, the big Belênes are set up by members of the Asociación de Belenistas de Madrid. Their website, abelenmadrid.com, has detailed instructions for creating your own (in Spanish) and a photo page of last year’s creations at abelenmadrid.com/pagina/categories.

The website lists several places in the city selling the makings of your very own Belén. There are thousands of figurines to choose from, including everyone from the baby Jesús to the town drunk. They make a traditional and memorable Spanish gift for yourself or someone back home.

Sean McLachlan