As the final glow of summer softens and Marina di Venezia slips into its peaceful winter pause, one place continues to hum with life: the booking office. Even in December, this is where holiday dreams from across Europe find their way to us.
The people behind these messages bring more than skill and dedication – they carry the stories, traditions and festive customs of their homelands. And at Christmastime, the booking office turns into a tapestry of cultures, woven together day by day.
This year, three colleagues – Valentina, Ulrike and Jette – open a window into their Christmas worlds. Three cultures, one shared spirit, the same sense of warmth that welcomes you each summer at Marina di Venezia.
Valentina: family, traditions and the scent of home
For Valentina, Christmas is spent close to home – right here in Cavallino-Treporti, where she was born and raised. A true enthusiast of the festive season, she starts preparing well in advance: the entrance lit with warm lights, decorations chosen with care, and a Santa’s sleigh ready to welcome friends and family. And of course, the Christmas tree and the traditional nativity scene.
As in every Italian home, the festive table plays a starring role. On Christmas Eve, Valentina’s mother prepares a seafood-inspired menu: crab gnocchetti, scallops and sea bass with potatoes. Christmas Day brings the whole family together. Relatives gather from near and far – cousins, uncles, nieces, nephews, and especially Grandma Elide, 91, the steady heart of every family celebration. This time the meal turns to comforting Italian favorites like meat lasagne and handmade ravioli.
On 26 December, the mood shifts to something more playful with the traditional “Natale delle amiche”, a day spent with friends, exchanging small gifts, wandering through local Christmas markets, and enjoying a well-deserved cup of mulled wine.
Ulrike: Christmas anchored in Austrian tradition
For Ulrike, Christmas will always carry the scent of home – Villach – the place she returns to every year to celebrate with her family. Traditions here are treasured, beginning with a ritual that has never changed: decorating the Christmas tree on the morning of 24 December. It is always a real fir, fresh with the fragrance of the forest, adorned with ornaments that each hold a story.
Christmas Eve brings everyone to the table for a simple yet beloved Austrian classic: homemade Würstel with Sauerkraut. But the true magic unfolds afterwards, as the family gathers around the tree to sing carols before attending Mass – sometimes in church, sometimes at home, tuning in to the live broadcast from Vienna’s Stephansdom.
The festive spirit continues on 25 and 26 December, days marked by family visits, warm reunions and relaxed strolls through Villach’s enchanting Christmas markets, where handcrafted decorations and choir performances complete the holiday atmosphere.
Jette: a truly authentic Christmas from the Bergisches Land
Jette grew up in the Bergisches Land, a rolling landscape near Cologne, though for the past few years her bright smile has also become part of everyday life at Marina di Venezia. December at her family home begins with the first decorations, but the true ritual unfolds only a few days before Christmas Eve: choosing a tree straight from the field and cutting it by hand. It is then decorated on the morning of the 24th, with classic Christmas songs playing in the background. The afternoon follows a cherished tradition — attending the Krippenspiel, the living nativity play, and listening to Christmas stories under the village tree.
Evening brings a festive meal of beef roulades, potato dumplings and red cabbage. After dinner, children wait eagerly behind closed doors until a small bell rings, announcing that the Christkind has arrived with gifts. The night ends, as always, with the beloved film “Eine schöne Bescherung”.
On 25 December, everyone gathers at her maternal grandparents’ home to watch old Super 8 family films — a tradition as tender as it is nostalgic.
The tree is supposed to come down on 6 January, but since Jette celebrates her birthday two days later and treasures the holiday atmosphere, she always manages to keep it a little longer.
Three stories, three countries, three ways of celebrating. And yet one thread connects them all: the importance of family and of the small rituals that make Christmas so special. It is this very spirit that Valentina, Ulrike and Jette carry with them to Marina di Venezia every summer, offering our guests the same heartfelt hospitality they cherish during these festive days.
