THIS Christmas, the best country to spend with your loved ones is definitely in Italy if you’re a Catholic. If you’re a Roman Catholic, visit the headquarters of the Church which is the Vatican City, the smallest country in the world and the only country in the world housed within a country. Vatican City is of course located in Rome. But it is not really located in Italy per se because one will have his own passport marked and a Vatican City-issued visa.

The only place on earth that you need not have a visa in going to Vatican City is Europe because Europe is where the Vatican City physically or geographically belongs. Spending Christmas Eve at the Vatican City can be awe-inspiring as Catholics are mesmerized to hear Pope Benedict XVI deliver his homily. It will be also a once in a lifetime event to hear the pope himself read the gospel. That’s how emotionally powerful and inspiring Vatican City can be this Christmas. Forget about the entire hullabaloo associated with commercial Christmas. The essence of the celebration is after all spiritual. So this Christmas spend some quality time with the Lord starting at Advent.

Here in Italy, Catholics spend their Christmas the way they do all over the world. They start the celebration in Advent or the four weeks before Christmas. Then for nine dawns before Christmas Eve, people in Italy wake up and go to mass. They are then greeted after church with Italian hearty breakfasts waiting outside. Visitors here in Italy will be pleased to see this awesome phenomenon. After breakfast, visitors can happily jog their way back to their hotel rooms to wear off the calories they have consumed. After all, they’re on holiday break here and not in an office one.

But before embarking on an Italian trip this Christmas, you need to prepare everything back home. If you have a dog, you need to hand it to a neighbor so someone can feed for it. That’s especially true if you’re bringing over your family for the trip. It may be expensive for a family to gather in Italy for a Christmas celebration especially the New Year’s Eve mass at St. Peter’s Square but that is just a once in a lifetime event. However, most trips are sponsored by your employers. That is especially true if you work in a Fortune 500 firm. They give gracious gifts to their employees so be diligent in your work.

Another phenomenon that you must watch out for during Christmas here in Italy is the presence of children caroling from house to house. These children are especially fond of visiting vacation homes as it is instilled in their minds that foreigners are more generous than their Italian friends whom they have already visited in Christmases past. The tip for foreigners being caroled by these little children is is generous to them as much as you can afford. Remember that it is Christmastime and this season is certainly for children.