Friday December 16, 2022
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Christmas plan
Minnie welcomes everyone to Santa's House in Badalona.
“This year, we have overshadowed the mayor of Vigo,” he says proudly. Christian (@el_pirata_del_maresma, on Instagram), owner of the most viral house of these celebrations. "We are in the number 9 Montjuïc street in Badalona", he points out. There's no need for much guidance: as you turn a corner, you see a beam of lights that wouldn't even be visible when flying over Las Vegas. It's Santa Claus's House, a private home that, for the second year in a row, has been filled with more lights, music and shows than Rockefeller Plaza.
Cristian, the ideologist of this Badalona house, outside his home.
Their success began last year when, after the caffeine-free pandemic holidays, they decided to compensate with a big ChristmasThe idea began as a neighborhood event, but the magic of the internet worked a Christmas miracle, and the video they recorded to present the initiative went viral. In the end, their garden was busier than the Versailles garden: up to 2,000 people They stopped by to see the lights and give their letters to Santa Claus. “We estimated there were about 200 people. There were so many people that we stood in lines for an hour,” he recalls.
Eager to outdo themselves, they've once again set up their little festive oasis. And thanks to the success of the previous edition, "we've secured the support of 35 sponsoring companies, including McDonald's and the Badalona Futur Football Club, to put on a grand event." So grand, that even Santa Claus came from the Arctic by helicopter and walked in Ferrari, all courtesy of private entities.
A post shared by Cristian Costa Ligero (@el_pirata_del_maresma)
However, this time they have learned their lesson and have decided to reduce capacity and move the shows to different parts of the city, such as the concert that they are organizing this Sunday, the 18th, in the Montigala Shopping Center (Olof Palme, 28-46).
Although the initiative of Santa Claus's House It has been received with great support and enthusiasm, but there was also some disbelief. One of the most frequently asked questions on social media last year was "Why are they spending money on this?" "I've even been told I'm a drug dealer and am doing this to launder money," Cristian laughs, recalling the incident.
Why does he do it? He says he loves Christmas and, in doing so, wants to teach his children a lesson in generosity. Admission to all events is free ("All children should be able to enjoy it, regardless of their economic level," he says) and they've organized charity raffles for charities and social foundations. "We don't keep anything; in fact, we lost money last year," he emphasizes, in response to the more cynical comments.
Christmas decorations in the courtyard of number 9 Montjuïc Street in Badalona.
According to the organizer, he has recruited all his sponsors through social media. After a conversation with him, it's easy to see how he's done it: with a salesman's spirit that could even get the Grinch to sing "Jingle Bells." His enthusiasm is so contagious that the Christmas fever has spread to the entire neighborhood, with other streets erecting Christmas trees with the help of their neighbors. Cristian's dream? Turning the neighborhood into the Catalan Lapland.
I already said it last year: this Christmas project is “a neighborhood help puzzle”. For example, the ones hiding under the Disney character costumes are their children. The carol singer is a neighbor. Santa Claus? The same, a neighbor who, coincidentally, is beard model and agreed to play the role of Saint Nicholas. Of course, don't imagine him as your typical mall Santa Claus. The one here is a two-meter-tall model, with a lustrous beard, a modern suit, and a figure that arouses more passion than Pedro Sánchez at international summits. "There are several digital communities of bearded men who have already described him as the most attractive Santa Claus in all of Europe"He says. Given what we've seen, more than one person will want to put him on their naughty list.
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