What Does Christmas Mean to You?

John Teye
7 minutes ago
2 min read

If you asked a thousand people this question, you’d get a thousand different answers. Some would say family. Others would say food. A few would smile and say time—the rarest gift of all.

In Lisbon, Christmas doesn’t arrive all at once. It drifts in gently, like the sound of a tram climbing Alfama’s hills. It shows up in glowing shop windows, in the smell of roasted chestnuts curling through the streets, in the soft yellow lights that make the city feel warmer than the winter air suggests.

So… what does Christmas mean to you?

Christmas to you?

Or Is It Something New?

Is It a Memory?

Maybe Christmas is the echo of childhood—waiting for the lights to turn on, counting the days, believing that magic was not only possible but guaranteed. It’s the memory of hands dusted with flour while baking, of stories told too many times, of laughter that felt endless.

Even as adults, we chase that feeling. Not the gifts themselves, but the moment when everything slowed down and felt complete.

Is It a Table?

In Portugal, Christmas often lives around a table. It’s codfish and olive oil, sonhos and rabanadas, wine poured generously and conversations that last far longer than planned. It’s the unspoken rule that nobody leaves hungry—physically or emotionally.

Food becomes a language of love, a way of saying you belong here.

Is It a Pause?

For travelers, Christmas can be a beautiful interruption. A pause from routines, deadlines, and destinations that blur together. In Lisbon, the city softens during the holidays. There’s more space to wander, to notice the tiles glowing after rain, to stand quietly at a miradouro and watch the lights flicker on as the sun sets early.

Christmas can mean giving yourself permission to stop moving fast—and start feeling deeply.

Is It Togetherness?

Sometimes Christmas means being surrounded by people you love. Sometimes it means missing them. Sometimes it means finding connection in unexpected places: a shared smile with a stranger, a warm greeting from a café owner, a city that welcomes you even if you’ve just arrived.

Travel has a way of redefining “home,” and Christmas reminds us that home is not always a place—it’s a feeling.

Or Is It Something New?

Maybe this year, Christmas means change. A new destination. A new tradition. A new story you’ll tell years from now.

In Lisbon, Christmas doesn’t shout. It whispers. It invites you to walk slower, look closer, and ask yourself what truly matters—then wraps the answer in light, warmth, and a little bit of magic.

So we’ll ask again, gently: