One of the advantages of receptions and other “get-togetherings” with international participation is that small talk here has wider boundaries than is usually the case where everyone comes from the same country or region. The wider boundaries embrace the multitude of languages and national/regional habits of the people present at an event – and that fact makes a fantastic difference.

At Yuletide small talk amongst a group of mixed nationalities is as good as it gets, because this time of the year is so rich on traditions and that not only at regional level but all the way down to family level – and often loaded with nostalgia. So, launching a little remark about the Christmas decorations in a restaurant, for example or about a meal in December almost automatically triggers discussions and exchanges of views and experiences that can last for half a day or the duration of an entire dinner, dessert included.

It is through such small talk that our very modest Christmas decoration was influenced by Catalan traditions. Along with a pair of Nisser, a traditional (definitely of pagan origin) Swedish style billy-goat of straw and a “Danish design” candle holder for 4 candles our Christmas decoration portfolio now also includes two Catalan objects. One is a pipe-smoking Caganer figurine neatly and creatively modelled in terracotta by an artist living north of Barcelona. I introduced him on the blog in December 2007, so some of you are already familiar with this little new friend of ours.

The other Catalan object is a small-scale Tió de Nadal made in the low mountains west of Barcelona. It is a Christmas log equipped with a little blanket, a little Catalan hat and a little stick to beat the log with when time is ripe for it to produce Christmas gifts.

I like such items rooted in popular imagination.

These two Catalan items are very sympathetic and so un-Danish that if we had Danish visitors at Christmas time they surely would focus on them – and surely an easygoing discussion on habits and traditions would follow. The loop would be closed in the way that what came out of pleasant small talk a couple of years ago at Yuletide would again sustain exactly that.