In this festive piece, Your Overseas Home writer and long-time expat Sally Veall shares how Spain celebrates the run-up to Christmas โ from early shopping and glittering lights to the traditional zambombadas and the quiet wonder of winter nights under the stars.
Christmas might still be a few weeks away, but in Spain, the festive spirit arrives early. Streets shimmer with decorations, shop shelves groan with gifts and towns across the country prepare for the seasonโs celebrations. Yet beyond the tinsel and bright lights, thereโs something deeper to enjoy โ the way Spanish communities come together. Whether itโs neighbours gathering for the switching-on of the town lights, families filling the plazas with music and laughter or the peaceful sight of a clear December night sky, Spainโs Christmas season is about warmth, connection and shared joy.
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Shops Sparkling with festive spirit
Christmas is just over a month away and the shops have been full of glitter and decorations for weeks. I have noticed a trend for local people to start buying their gifts earlier than usual. This is especially true given the growing number of low-cost stores. In my area alone, we now have two Dutch discount shops, two German and several Chinese. A newcomer, Action (from the Netherlands), is permanently busy and they sell some good household and kitchen items, toys, clothes, a limited selection of brand foodstuffs, tools, lighting, cleaning goods, makeup, vitamins, batteries, a large range of Christmas decorations and other items – and a whole lot more. Then there is Kwik, a German retailer selling clothes as their main line but also some household goods and Christmas decorations. Rossman, another newcomer from Germany, sells parapharmacy items, beauty products, cleaning goods and, among other things, a small but good range of organic foods.
As you walk along the aisles, nearly half the shop is devoted to Christmas. There are inexpensive things for small children, more decorations than you could possibly imagine, glasses, cups and plates with a Christmas motif, fluorescent wrapping paper, Christmas tree place mats and numerous other seasonal items. Among them are shiny plastic stars with a small bulb inside, dependent on an external battery holder to light up. They are quite pretty when alight.
Then there are the other stars…
Spainโs night sky in winter
Most of Spain enjoys clear skies for much of winter and with them the opportunity to spend time stargazing. You might need to wrap up as the nights can get chilly but itโs worth the effort to spend time looking up at the night sky. In towns and cities, street lighting adversely affects the clarity but you can still see stars. In the countryside, the view is more striking.
December is one of the best months for stargazing in Spain. The cooler, drier air sharpens the night sky, making constellations appear brighter and more defined. Step beyond the cities and the darkness opens up beautifully. The monthโs real highlight is the Geminid meteor shower, which sends bright, steady meteors across the sky in mid-December. With a warm coat and a quiet spot away from the lights, even a short time outdoors feels rewarding. In the stillness of a Spanish winter night, the stars seem closer, the sky wider, and December altogether more magical.
This, perhaps, is more akin to the spirit of Christmas than the multitude of Christmas items on display in Spainโs shops. The wonder of the universe around us.
The magic of Christmas lights across Spain
Most Spanish towns and cities hold a ceremony for switching on the Christmas lights, open to all. Usually at the end of November or early in December, crowds gather to welcome the Christmas season to their locality.
In my town, this happens in the main square and after (too many) speeches by the Mayor and other local dignitaries, the lights go on, loudly applauded by the crowd. Over the years, our Christmas lights have really improved and are literally quite dazzling for a small town.
It is a tradition that everyone present is offered a cup of Escudella – a Catalan stew made with seasonal vegetables, meat and local cured products, though the town square version is more like a soup. Itโs warming on a cold evening, and is usually made by the students of the townโs catering school.
Other towns might offer a cup of hot chocolate or churros. You would need to look up events sponsored by the town hall to discover what is happening and where in your area. These events are fun and sociable, an ideal way of chatting to local people, your neighbours and friends and being part of your local community. Children love them and there might even be sweets on offer.
There are much bigger and better known events at Christmas, such as the Cavalcade of the Three Kings on 5th January but the smaller switching on of the lights are more for the local population, where everyone, no matter their nationality, colour or religion, can come together.
Zambombadas โ keeping Andalusian Christmas music alive
In Southern Spain, locals gather to keep a musical tradition alive. They play traditional instruments and sing Spanish Christmas Carols, villancicos. In Jerez, for example, locals come together during the first three weeks of December to enjoy singing Flamenco villancicos. The city is alive with music in the squares, courtyards and certain bars. Zambombada, by the way, is the word for a type of drum with a very special sound and is associated with celebrations around Christmas time.
In some places, they hold small processions to honour the Virgin or Jesus. These are not major events but yet another example of local people gathering to celebrate and to be involved in their community.
Finding the real spirit of Christmas in Spain
In Spain, the run-up to Christmas has a magic all its own, especially under the clear winter skies. While festive lights brighten the streets and nativity scenes appear in every town, the stars offer their own quiet spectacle above – sharp, steady and remarkably bright in the cool December air.
