Hello, community, happy start to the month of December, the most beautiful month of the year.

The month of December is characterized by being a season of customs, traditions, reunions and memories. The typical gastronomy of the last days of the year marks a country tradition, each region keeps its secrets and its history around Christmas and the end of the year.

Although in Venezuela we do not have the four seasons, we have very marked traditions that identify us as a people. In turn, in each family, food and drinks are enjoyed in an idiosyncratic way, transmitted from generation to generation... from parents to children.

In the cafes of my hometown during this season, they usually vary a little the drinks that are traditionally offered. Although the truth is, there is not much variety, not like they usually serve in other countries. As I have learned from movies, people who live or have traveled to other areas... and here, those who write for this community, I have learned about very interesting customs.

Apart from the traditional coffee, we Cumaneses can get spices to add like cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, liquor (usually brandy); and chocolate that usually includes marshmallows and whipped cream. Not all coffee shops offer this small but nice amount of ingredients; but for us it is welcome because it allows us to have a change compared to the rest of the year.

During this December season, what I usually drink most often, if it is coffee, cold or hot, with cinnamon; and if it is chocolate, with a little whipped cream. If I am at home, I put marshmallows on it. I think that the most important thing is that we feel in harmony with ourselves. That makes it more pleasant to enjoy the place and also the drinks.

In Cumaná, spices are very important, both in food and drinks. I remember one time I spent Christmas in the capital, Caracas, and my aunt invited us to a supermarket café that served coffee with cardamom, which I didn't really like. I've always thought that adding spices to coffee is a very careful thing to do and doesn't always give the expected results.

As I consider myself very traditional, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha... I don't go beyond cinnamon, cloves and vanilla. And I fully enjoy my coffee. Putting these spices in my coffee takes me straight back to my childhood and a good part of my youth, to the big old house of my grandmother Antonia and my grandfather Andrés. The home of all my fondest memories, where I found unconditional love and acceptance.

This coffee has cloves and cinnamon, ground...hmmm...! a supreme delight in flavors and smells...

I took the photos with my Redmi11 phone and some were edited in the PowerPoint program.
The translation was done with Google.