Christmas

What comes after the coldest Christmas in 15 years?

by

If this was ever normal, the truth is that, today, December 25, 2025, it has been something completely exceptional: we not only talk the coldest day of 2025we’re talking about the coldest Christmas in more than 15 years; We are talking about snow levels at 500 meters and thermometers at -6ºC in half of Spain. Although the warnings have been limitedare big words. What has really happened? Something very simple, really: a combination of polar air and precipitation in the east. It is the result of atmospheric blocking to the north with the consequent diversion of cold air masses towards our latitudes (and the successive arrivals of storms from the west also linked to that blockage). Be that as it may, the result is the same: a few icy days, with frost in the interior and in the mountains, snow at low levels and problems on around thirty roads. And, of course, as usually happens, while we focus on the ‘snow’, the real risk is on the ice. The sum of night frosts and humidity generates invisible plaques on secondary roads and mountain passes. That in a period of very high mobility (like Christmas) is a ticking time bomb. The underlying question, however, is another.. We already know that a day at -6 degrees is not enough for us to talk about a cold wave. And yet, the social sensation is clear: in a climate framework that tends to make this increasingly rare, a cold episode of this type is beginning to be very striking. But what will come next? The answer, depending on available modelsis that the cold “loses its bite”; but the minimum temperatures will remain low so the risk of frost will not decrease. For its part, during the weekend, instability will last a little longer in the Mediterranean and the Andalusian Atlantic coast. Then New Year’s Eve will comeanother of those “big days” in mobility. There we also expect colder than normal in almost all of Spain (except in the Canary Islands). However, no heavy rain is expected. January is still too far away to know what will happen for sure. Something we are not used to. We must not forget that Christmas 2023 It was very mild; we spent 2022 almost in short sleeve with “values ​​within the 95% percentile: that is, temperatures could occur in the range of the 5% of highest temperatures recorded for the date.” And what 2021 was closed with temperatures up to 25 degrees in places like Bilbao airport. The normal thing, lately, is an increasingly warm December in a context of increasingly warmer years. So we better enjoy it, it doesn’t seem like this cold is going to be common in the coming years. Image | ECMWF In Xataka | La Niña is going to be meteorologically “less intense” than we expected. And that actually hides a problem.

Cooking for an entire family on Christmas Eve is a dying tradition. And the explanation is in Mercadona

by

The usual thing at this time of year is that most family gatherings become a single topic: What to have for dinner on Christmas Eve? And on New Year’s Eve? Is the menu repeated from other years? Is the entire purchase completed or are there still issues pending? That was the usual. At least until, in one country at a time less fond to cook and more to the already prepared foodanother question began to form: Why spend hours in the kitchen on the afternoons of December 24 (and 31) if we can order dinner to a restaurant, catering or the super trustworthy? It may seem like a simple anecdote, but it says a lot not only about Christmas but about how homes and our consumer habits are changing. An afternoon locked in the stove? That Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are special events, no one doubts it. Neither do they both basically revolve around the table. However, that is one thing and quite another that we are willing to spend hours locked in the kitchen to prepare appetizing dinners for a regiment of relatives, something not so strange just a few decades ago. In 2019 the German supermarket chain Aldi made a poll in which he asked the Spaniards the same thing: how much time we spend preparing Christmas lunches and dinners. Their conclusion was curious: although on average we dedicate 137 minutes to them, the vast majority of those interviewed (62%) aspire to cut that time between stoves, leaving it at 112 minutes at most. Who cooks then? Others. It’s that simple. It is not easy to measure the trend, but a Google search is enough to find articles from regional newspapers that talk about how more and more families order the main Christmas meals and dinners from restaurants, hotels or catering companies. It occurs in the Community of Madrid, Galicia, Aragon, Catalonia, Castile and León either Estremadurato cite a handful of examples of a trend that actually transcends communities. Not only that. In addition to families willing to pay to get rid of the burden of preparing dinners for 10, 12, 14… diners, we find companies willing to cover that growing market niche, some as relevant as Mercadona, the supermarket chain with higher quota of the country. Christmas Eve ‘made in Mercadona’? That’s how it is. Since the end of November, Juan Roig’s company has announced its ‘Ready to Eat’ oriented towards parties, a section that allows you to order canapés, stuffed chicken, suckling pig, lamb… in advance to be served during the nights of December 24 and 31. “Just heat and serve,” Mercadona boastswhich highlights how the service allows families to save time “without having to worry about the kitchen.” It makes complete sense if you take into account that the Valencian company has been betting for years precisely because of that line of business and Roig himself has publicly acknowledged who is convinced that in the middle of this century kitchens will disappear from Spanish homes. His prediction points in a clear direction: supermarkets will no longer be just the places where we shop, they will be the food references where we will buy dishes and even where we will consume them. Don’t we cook anymore? Not quite. We continue cooking, although it is true that we do it differently and less and less. He gave us a clue recently a study published in TIJGFS which leaves out a revealing piece of information: 59.1% of Spaniards We still cook practically every day, which means that most of us still use our ovens and vitro. The other side of that figure is that there is 40.9% who never cook or do it very rarely and that percentage has been growing in recent decades. The CIS has also confirmed that the majority of their respondents (46.5%) believe that home cooking is losing ground to fast food. If that were not interesting in itself, there are other indicators (from the food industry) that suggest changes in consumption: for example, we increasingly demand less fresh bread and fisha latter product that begins to associate to leisure outside the home. And what happens at Christmas? Beyond our general eating habits, Christmas has its own peculiarities. Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve dinners are not ‘normal’ dinners. Firstly, because a higher degree of elaboration than normal is expected of them. Second, because it involves cooking for many more people than those who are part of the usual family nucleus: on December 24 and 31, cousins, in-laws, brothers-in-law, nephews sit at the table… Which ends up easily translating into groups of more than ten diners. Is that important? Yes, if we take into account that we increasingly live in smaller apartments and families are smallerwhich translates into a series of practical complications: How to cook for 12 people in a tiny kitchen with a two-burner vitro? Where to store so much food? Where the hell can you seat 12 or 14 people in a room where there is furniture for one couple, who is the one who really eats in that house the rest of the year? It was done until now, right? Yes. But times change. And that is something that is easily observed when going out into the street. looking at statistics. The fact that there are more and more single-person households or households made up of two people and fewer than three, four or more members means that there are fewer people accustomed to cooking for groups. We are also less willing to spend hours in the kitchen, as stated in 2019 Aldi and confirm the boom of ‘Tardebuena’ and ‘Tardevieja’. We enjoy the afternoon more the 24th and 31st because we spend less time between pots. There is another factor and it is economic. In restaurants and catering establishments there are different rates, but they usually guarantee two things: fixed prices and menus and guaranteed product. Nothing about being surprised that the kilo of lamb has … Read more

I have received more than fifty automated Christmas greetings. They all lie

by

I would love for my next sentence to be an innocent one, but it is completely factual: I have received more than fifty Christmas greetings by email. Not written to me specifically, but automated by companies that thought it was an excellent idea. They all say the same thing with different words, They all pretend a closeness that does not exist. And the most striking thing is not that they do it, but that the person who sends them knows that the recipients know that it is a lie, and they still send them. Welcome to the theater of obligatory cordiality, where we are all actors conscious of acting. These christmas They usually come signed by the communication department, but it is not ‘communication’, it is maintenance of social infrastructure. Like watering a plastic plant: the gesture doesn’t make any sense, but doing it makes you feel better. The company that congratulates you has no feelings for you. The LinkedIn contact who hasn’t written to you in 364 days, either. But both have calculated that the cost of sending you that message (zero) is lower than the risk of you forgetting about them. It is calculation disguised as warmth. It works because we have accepted a tacit agreement: We’re going to pretend these messages mean something if you pretend you appreciate them. Nobody believes anything. But we all participate. The real message is not “I wish you a brutal Christmas” but “I still exist on your radar.” They don’t wish you anything, they only mark territory in your attention. And this contaminates even royal congratulations. We have turned a gesture of affection into a signal so degraded that it no longer communicates anything. Like when you repeat a word many times until it loses meaning: Merry christmas. Merry christmas. Merry christmas. Merry christmas. It doesn’t mean anything anymore. It’s just noise. The bad thing about the system is that it generates its own incentives to perpetuate itself. If you don’t send your massive congratulations, someone will interpret your silence as disdain. So you do it. And in doing so, you contribute to the noise that you yourself hate. Each individual message seems innocuous, but the aggregate effect is the destruction of the meaning of the words. And then there’s the absurd escalation. Because as everyone knows it is a lie, some try to differentiate themselves by adding layers of production. Videos with smiling employees, animated GIFs, Canva designs. As if the problem were packaging. Christmas spam is not a volume problem. The thing is we have forgotten that silence is also valid. That saying nothing is better than saying something empty. But we live terrified of silence, we prefer constant noise. And if you refuse to participate, you will be the odd one out. This is the sad thing: we know that it is a lie, that it contaminates real communication. But we keep doing it. Merry christmas. In Xataka | Calling without warning has gone from being normal to being rude. And in that change we have lost something Featured image | Xataka

This year’s El Gordo is not in the Lottery. There are Christmas baskets that offer fortunes and the prize does not go through the treasury

by

The Christmas basket, today converted into an almost mythological object of the work calendar and Spanish commercialwas not born as an innocent gesture or as a marketing strategy, but as a very ancient expression of power, hierarchy and dependence. If the Romans raised their heads today they would not believe it: their sportula is no longer a simple basket, it is something much bigger than the Christmas “Gordo” himself. Literally, From Rome to the draw of the 21st century. In imperial Rome, during the Saturnalia in December, patrons gave their clients the sportula: a wicker basket with quality food (figs, bay leaves, select products) that was offered during the morning greetingthe morning ritual in which the protected came to pay respect to the patron. That basket It wasn’t just food.: It was a tangible reminder of who protected whom and how subsistence was articulated around personal relationships of fidelity. Centuries later, this logic reappeared in other forms in the Anglo-Saxon tradition of Boxing Daywhen the wealthy classes distributed boxes with gifts to their domestic servants, and also in the medieval ecclesiastical sphere, where the “Christmas boxes” functioned as donations to the most disadvantaged. The central idea was always the same: close the year with a material gesture that strengthened social, work or moral ties. The Spanish basket. In Spain, the Christmas basket began to consolidate late 19th century in public organizations and administrations, but it was not until the 1950s when it became widespread as a recognizable business gift, first in the public sector and later in the private sector. Those baskets, wicker and almost Roman in appearance, combined Christmas sweets, sausages, cheeses and bottles of wine or cava, and were usually delivered along with the extra pay. They were not a luxury, but yes a symbol: the worker brought home something that was opened as a family and consumed on key dates, integrating the world of work into the domestic ritual of Christmas. As the decades passed, the lot stopped being an accessory and became an identifying gesture of the company, an object that spoke of both the budget and the corporate culture. From ham to musical. The social and labor evolution of the country has been pushing the basket to transform without extinction. Generational diversity, changes in consumption habits and new food sensitivities have made the unique model stop working. Today, traditional baskets coexist with digital catalogs where employees choose between technological products, cultural experiences or gourmet gifts. The whole ham gives ground to slicing for economic, practical and demographic reasons, and high-proof beverages are reduced. Vegan, gluten-free or alcohol-free batches appear, and more care is taken with design, sustainability and the continent. However, even those driving the change recognize that a “romanticism” that is difficult to replace persists: the experience of coming home with a box, opening it as a family, and associating that moment with the recognition of the work done during the year. An industry that lives on a month. Behind this apparently simple gesture there is a highly specialized economic sector that concentrates a good part of your billing in just three months. Companies that think about baskets all year round, that negotiate with suppliers, adjust prices in response to inflation of ham, cocoa or oil, and that have survived crises like that of 2008 by becoming professional and gaining scale. Large stores and wholesale distributors move hundreds of thousands of lots each campaignfrom modest baskets of less than 10 euros to premium proposals that exceed 1,000. At the same time, the basket has also become a delicate tax area: it is a remuneration in kind when the company delivers it, a capital increase when it is won in a raffle, and a detail that, depending on its value, may require taxation. That fiscal component, paradoxically, has driven some of the most striking innovations. Promotional image of the “basket” of El Paisano When the basket surpasses the Gordo. The definitive leap from the symbolic to the spectacular comes when the basket stops being a set of foods and becomes a great vital draw. The best-known case this year is that of the grill The Countrymanin the province of Seville, which since 2008 has been expanding its “Great Basket of Kings” until reaching a value in 2025 close to 850,000 eurosa figure that doubles the net prize of one tenth of the Gordo de Navidad. High-end cars, motorhomes, motorcycles, an apartment on the coast, technology, gold bars and food coexist in a single prize that, in addition, is awarded with taxes and expenses assumed by the organizer. For ten euros of participation, the winner can wake up with a completely different material life. Here the basket stops being a metaphor and becomes an economic, media and social event. The bizarre thing is also Christmas. But if anything shows how far this tradition has come, it is its ability to embrace the unusual without complexes. In Ourense, a funeral home decided to put together its Christmas basket inside a coffin displayed in the window. The content, valued at 2,300 eurosincludes everything from technology and appliances to ham and sweets, and the coffin itself can be carried “if the whim is too much.” Far from being a gratuitous provocation, the raffle has a solidarity purpose and seeks to energize the life of the neighborhood. The scene well summarizes the contemporary spirit of the basket: an object that no longer fears excess, uncomfortable humor or exaggeration, because its main function is to attract attention, generate community and close the year with a story to tell. Tradition that was never innocent. As we see, since the sportula roman to the basket that is raffled in a coffin or the one that is worth more than the Fat Man without going through the Treasurythe Christmas basket has changed in form, content and scale, but not in profound meaning. Deep down it is still a closing ritual, a material transfer loaded with social meaning, or a way of saying “you … Read more

Ukraine has asked Russia if they stop for Christmas like in the First World War. The answer could not have been more Russian

by

The inevitable reference when talking about a Christmas break in the middle of a conflict is the spontaneous truce December 1914in the first months of the First World War. On several sectors of the Western Front, British and German soldiers left the trenches, exchanged cigarettes, sang Christmas carols and even played football in no man’s land. Ukraine has remembered it, but it is going to be complicated. The first time. On that occasion of the First World War, the truce was not ordered by the commanders nor was it part of a political negotiation: came from belowof human exhaustion in the face of a war that had not yet shown all its industrial brutality. Precisely for this reason it was never repeated. The high command considered it dangerous, subversive and incompatible with a modern total war. Since then, Christmas has been used many times as a rhetorical symbol of peace, but almost never as an actual interruption of fighting. The Ukrainian proposal. In this historical context full of symbolism, Ukraine has raised the possibility of a ceasefire during Christmas, an idea carefully formulated so as not to appear as a disguised surrender. Zelensky has spoken of a specific pauseespecially linked to attacks against energy infrastructure, at a critical time of winter and with the civilian population as the main collateral victim. At the same time, kyiv is preparing a new package of peace proposals backed by European partners and channeled through the United States, with the expectation that Washington will offer top-level security guarantees if Moscow rejects the plan. Zelensky, however, has shown caution and has lowered any expectations of a quick deal, publicly assuming that Russia may choose to continue the war and that, in that case, Ukraine will ask for more sanctions and more weapons. Officers and men of the 26th Division Ammunition Train playing football at Salonica, Greece, on Christmas Day 1915 The Russian response. The Kremlin’s reaction to the “Christmas break” has been immediate and bluntalmost ritual in its formulation. Dmitri Peskov has discarded any temporary ceasefire, including a Christmas truce, with an argument that Moscow has been repeating for months: a pause would only serve for Ukraine to regroup, rearm and prolong the conflict. In official Russian language, the word “truce” is presented like a trapwhile the word “peace” is reserved for a scenario in which Russia has achieved all your strategic objectives. According to Peskov, Moscow is not ready to replace a comprehensive negotiation (in their own terms) for “momentary and non-viable” solutions. The logic is clear and brutal: either the Russian framework of political and territorial victory is accepted, or the war continues without sentimental interruptions. Territory, guarantees and red lines. Behind the exchange of statements lies the real core of the conflict. Russia demands that Ukraine rspread to wide areas of its territory, accept permanent limits on its armed forces and rule out any future accession to NATO. Ukraine, for its part, rejects hand over the Donbaseven under ambiguous formulas such as a supposed demilitarized “free economic zone,” and remembers that it was already betrayed once when it renounced its nuclear arsenal in 1994 in exchange for security guarantees that did not prevent the invasion. Polls show that a clear majority of Ukrainian society opposes withdrawing from the east and is willing to continue fighting, a domestic factor that greatly limits Zelensky’s political margin even as international pressure increases. Christmas without miracles. The proposal for a Christmas break actually exposes the abysmal distance between the war that we evoke in historical memory and the war that is being fought today. In 1914an improvised truce was possible because the soldiers still saw each other as human beings confronted by accident. In 2025, the war in Ukraine is a conflict of objectives strategic, existential red lines and cold calculation of power, where each day of pause is measured in kilometers of front, ammunition reserves and operational advantages. The Russian response dry and distrustfulis not only “very Russian”: it is confirmation that, in this war, Christmas has no capacity to suspend the logic of the conflict. Unlike more than a century agothere is no room for carols between the trenches, only for official statements that remind that, for Moscow, peace does not begin with a truce, but with the political defeat of the adversary. Image | RawPixel, WikiCommons, Ariel Varges In Xataka | 24 hours later, satellite images leave no doubt: a Ukrainian underwater drone has changed the future of wars In Xataka | Drums of peace sound in Ukraine. And that should be a good thing for Europe… unless Finland is right

Ozempic came to simplify the relationship with food. Christmas is proving how wrong we were

by

Christmas has always been a delicate territory for the relationship with food. Family reunions, full tables and seemingly harmless comments turn these dates into a kind of silent examination of the body. For years the answer was the express diet before the holidays. Today, in many cases, the conversation revolves around a weekly injection. In the United States, there were cases of people skipping their Ozempic shot to enjoy Thanksgiving, according to The Wall Street Journal. The phenomenon in Spain is less visible, but the question is inevitable: what will happen this Christmas and what consequences could this jump have? Ozempic in Spain: a discreet use on the rise. Ozempic or other drugs based on semaglutide or tirzepatide have restricted access, require a prescription and, in theory, priority for patients with diabetes. Even so, its use for weight loss exists and is increasing, especially in the private sector. “In consultation, doubts begin to appear about what to do with these drugs on special dates such as Christmas,” explains Dr. Víctor Bravoendocrinologist interviewed in Xataka. “It is not always verbalized as ‘I’m going to skip the dose’, but the idea of ​​’stopping a little’, ‘adjusting’ or ‘I’ll see after the holidays’ does appear.” The difference with the United States is one of degree, not nature. There the debate It is public and massive. Here it begins more quietly, but with the same roots: fear of losing control, social pressure and a complex relationship with food that the holidays intensify. Understand well what it is. Ozempic is neither a one-time appetite suppressant nor a cosmetic aid. Its active ingredient is semaglutide, a drug that replicates the action of the hormone GLP-1 that the body releases after meals. This hormone intervenes in the regulation of insulin and satiety signals, so the treatment reduces appetite and prolongs the feeling of being full. “This is important to understand well,” emphasizes Laura Albó, psychologist specialized in eating disorders and EMDR traumawith whom we have chatted in Xataka. “It is not a pill that takes away the desire to eat only that day. It is a treatment that modifies the signaling of hunger and satiety on a continuous basis. Interrupting it is not neutral.” Besides, as recalled by the scientific reviews recently analyzed by the WHOthese drugs work to lose weight, but they are not free of side effects nor is their long-term impact still known with certainty. Nausea, digestive discomfort and, in some cases, abandonment of treatment are part of the real picture. The Christmas dilemma: enjoy without losing control. One of the most repeated promises of GLP-1 is peace of mind: eating without fear of overflowing. Precisely for this reason, Christmas is experienced as a paradox. “What we observed is that many people consider these dates as an exception,” explains Albó. “It’s the same mental scheme of diets as always: now I can relax, now it’s time to enjoy, and then I’ll control myself again. The tool changes, but not the logic.” According to the psychologist, the conflict is not so much in the amount of food as in the meaning attributed to it. “When someone feels like they need to skip treatment to enjoy themselves, they are reinforcing the idea that eating with pleasure and eating with control are incompatible. And that dichotomy is a clear basis for eating discomfort.” From a medical point of view, Dr. Bravo agrees that expectations are often unrealistic. “Some people hope that by stopping the medication for a few days the body will function as before the treatment. But what usually returns is not a ‘normal’ relationship with food, but a sharp increase in hunger and constant worry about eating.” As we have previously mentioned, in the United States, some patients delayed the weekly dose to arrive with a greater appetite for holiday meals. But Laura Albó warns that this approach displaces the problem: “It’s not just physical hunger. It’s mental noise, paying attention to the menu, the dessert, how much is left. Just what many people had managed to silence.” What happens if you skip Ozempic? From a physiological point of view, interrupting or delaying a dose can cause a return of hunger that is more intense than expected. “The body once again receives signals that had been dampened for weeks or months,” says the endocrinologist. “This does not mean that the person eats ‘normal’, but rather that they may experience a sharp increase in appetite and greater difficulty in self-regulation.” But the impact is not just physical. “On an emotional level, the effect is usually a swing,” adds Laura Albó. “First the idea of ​​permission appears—now I can eat—and then, if the person feels that it has gone too far, guilt and shame come. This cycle is well known in consultations.” Scientific evidence supports this risk. Studies on hormonal regulation of appetite show that the body’s adaptations after weight loss do not disappear immediately. Skipping treatment does not eliminate that vulnerability; in some cases it intensifies it. So what do the experts recommend? There is no single answer, but there is clear consensus among the professionals consulted: Do not make impulsive or guilt-based decisions. Do not use medication as punishment or as permission to eat. Maintain basic schedules and routines to avoid arriving extremely hungry. Understand that two or three meals do not determine the success or failure of a treatment. “The important thing is not to turn Christmas into a test,” summarizes psychologist Laura Albó. “Two meals do not change a body, but they can greatly alter the emotional state.” For its part, Dr. Victor Bravo He insists that any adjustment should be discussed with the professional who prescribes the treatment: “Not so much because of the specific meal of a day, but because of what that decision can trigger later.” The role of the family: the noise that cannot be seen. Although the focus is usually on who takes the drug, the environment has a decisive weight. Comments such as “how little you … Read more

The price of olive oil has begun to skyrocket at Christmas

by

The price of olive oil sang “the wolf is coming” a few months ago. At the end of August, and after a few months of free fallwith prices very far of the peaks from a couple of years agothe “liquid gold” seemed to was picking up again. This has been the case, and a worse than expected harvest has negative consequences on the price of extra virgin oil. The good news is that it is not as alarming as it was a few years ago. In short. 2024 and 2025 have not been years of good harvests for some products. In South America it has spent with coffee (and we carry the consequences throughout the year). It has happened with the grapes (and we will notice it in the wine), and it seems that it has not been favorable for the olive either. As they point out from The Confidentialthe latest data from Department of agriculture (some great graphs for database lovers) indicate an average price at origin of 4.56 euros per liter of extra virgin. The data offered in Oleista (which shows both extra virgin and virgin through various market sources) are in the same line: 4.11 euros, which translates into 53% more in the last 10 days compared to the previous period. And you may think “it’s not that much”, but the problem is that a white label bottle (final product, not origin) is around 4.65 euros per liter. Margins. Those nine cents difference are few, but it means that the chains have fewer margins, which is why they raise the price of that final product. Some chains are already doing it. There are several ways to see the price history of some supermarkets to follow its evolution. An example is SuperSupersbut FACUA also offers a somewhat clearer service: less historical, but more short-term information that can help us see recent evolution. According to their information, a liter of Hacendado extra virgin olive oil cost 4.65 euros 30 days ago. Today it is for 4.95 euros after an increase of 6.45%. But you don’t have to go back a month: according to the ‘snitch’, a week ago the price was 6.45% lower. When will we notice it?. The answer is obvious: now. And, of course, the question that arises is why a few months ago it took us a while to see that oil prices in the supermarket were still high when originally they had fallen sharply… and now that the situation is the other way around, they are readjusting so quickly. Times depend on several factors, but above all on stock and supply contracts. In general, adjustment is usually seen after a few monthsbut when that applies to increases, the change is much more immediate. In the end, it is a tremendously volatile market and, although In March the rains invited optimism in the price of olive oil, if these last years have taught us anything it is that two weeks of heat are enough above normal so that an entire olive campaign goes to waste. Far from the peak. It is similar to egg pricewhich has had a negative streak, but when the stabilization was there, the outbreak of avian flu appeared, which has skyrocketed the price of eggs and has had other disastrous consequences: touch the price of nougat. It’s like a pyramid of cards. However, and despite those close to five euros per liter of white label extra virgin oil, the way to console ourselves is that we are far – very far – from what we experienced just two years agowhen going to the ‘supermarket’ was a pain because you knew you were going to pay about 10 euros per liter of oil. Preumification. But in the background there is another important issue – that house of cards that I was commenting on. A few prices is a sum and continues in a supermarket basket that is increasingly more expensive when salaries do not rise at the same rate. It is one more element that supports household income, especially in countries like Spain where olive oil is a basic product. And, although this is a much more personal note, it will be a sad day when olive oil in Spain is a premium product like in other countriesand we have to use other vegetable oils or even butter to cook. A cultural and even identity loss. Images | David Clode, Antonio Molin In Xataka | Mercadona has bought the company that has been supplying pallets and boxes for decades. And there is a very simple reason

the Christmas of the great polarization

by

If it is true that Christmas is a time of peace, love and reunions, one thing is clear: this year those feelings will be less present on Spanish tables. The holidays of 2025 will be those of polarization and harsh debate. Campofrío predicted it with your christmas adverta two and a half minute piece titled precisely ‘Polarized’, and this is confirmed by the organization More in Common with a study which puts (even more if possible) the finger on the sore spot. Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve dinners promise to be mined territory this year. Nougat, polka dots… and anger. The year doesn’t matter. Christmas has its essentials: lottery, nougatsan avalanche of perfume ads and Abel Caballero showing off in Galician/Spanish/English of the millions of LED lights in Vigo. Another ingredient will be added to that cocktail this year: polarization. Campofrío warned about this in his Christmas advertisement, in which he seeks to turn the tension around with a message that invites us to “enjoy life.” And confirms it a study from More in Common that puts the thermometer on political tension. “Polarization has become the background noise of our public life and also an uncomfortable presence in our private lives. These days, when Christmas brings us together around a table, that tension is more noticeable,” reflect the organization in Substack before swiping a data interesting Worrying: last year one in five Spaniards (20%) already experienced a “strong argument” during the big events of these days, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. A percentage: 14%. The data comes from ‘Atlas of polarization in Spain’a document recently presented by More in Common and which has been prepared with the responses of more than 2,5000 interviewees. All Spanish and of legal age. The report should be taken for what it is: a study, with its strengths and weaknesses, but it helps to understand a phenomenon that will catch few by surprise. And not only because “everyday polarization” be easily identifiable in the press, general television or social networks. In recent years, several researchers have addressed the topic in books such as ‘Polarized’ either ‘From voters to hooligans’ and even the CIS has also captured that division in his polls. If we focus on the report From More in Common there is a specific indicator that helps to better understand the drift of Spanish society and the ghost that will rise this Christmas in many Spanish homes: in the last year 14% of those interviewed have broken family or friendship relationships for strictly ideological reasons. Not only that. 25% He claims to have felt “attacked” or “strongly criticized” for expressing his ideas. A conscious problem. The most curious thing is that we Spaniards are aware of this handicap. To the question of “To what extent do you think Spain is united or divided?” 16% respond that they see the country as more or less cohesive, 19% show doubts and 65% He admits that he appreciates a fragmentation. In fact, this last option has been gaining strength since October 2024, when DANA spread the feeling that we Spaniards faced the future more united. At that time, 39% claimed to see harmony in the country. What divides us? There is also little doubt about what lies behind this social fragmentation. When More in Common asked its interviewees what elements are dividing the country, it found a resounding result. Networks are emerging as the most polarizing factor. 37% of those surveyed They point them out as the factor that most contributes to the climate of confrontation. The media is next in terms of relevance, with 33%. If we talk about political actors, Vox, the Government, the PP and PSOE stand out (in this order), the ones most often pointed out as causing polarization. At the opposite pole are the judges, the Church, NGOs and the Royal Family, which closes the ranking. More than Germany or France. As remember More in Commons The above refers to the perception that we Spaniards have of ourselves, which still raises a doubt… Do we really have a polarization problem? The answer seems to be yes. Yes, at least if we compare ourselves with other countries. The report shows that in Spain ideological positions are more dispersed than in Germany, France or Italy. In fact, he assures that ours is “one of the most polarized countries in Western Europe.” In the background, two clearly defined ideological blocks: the voters of PSOE, Sumar or Podemos on the left and those of PP and VOX on the right. The ‘bomb’ themes. The report also clarifies which issues make the atmosphere more tense when two people from different ideological blocks meet: one from the left and the other from the right. The most curious thing is that it is not taxes, nor health, nor education or the role of the State. Not even climate change. The issues “more divisive” They are immigration and the territorial model. Another issue on which Podemos or Sumar voters and Vox voters are considerably apart is that of gender equality. A concept: “Affective polarization”. “There is a bloc of Vox and PP and another that is concentrated around PSOE and Sumar and other parties. Among voters in the same bloc, mutual feelings are relatively acceptable, but feelings towards the other bloc are becoming negative,” explains to The Country Tarek Jaziri Arjona, author of a study that delves into another relevant concept: “affective polarization.” That is, not only ideological divisions but how we feel when we meet people who think differently. It is not a minor issue if we take into account that many Spaniards live in ideological ‘echo chambers’, environments in which those who think in a similar way predominate. 48% of those surveyed In fact, they recognize that almost all (14%) or most (34%) of their friends share their ideas. Everything bad, then? No. The report also provides some positive readings. For example, it shows that it is not impossible to reduce the polarization of the … Read more

Buying seafood before Christmas Eve saves up to 40%. A mistake when freezing it ruins your dinner

by

Christmas is coming and, with it, the spread of the large tables. In Spain, seafood is the absolute king of the banquet, but its presence this year is once again marked by a “stratospheric” price increase. According to data from the OCUshopping on the eve of Christmas Eve can mean paying 78% more for barnacles or 53% more for clams. Given this scenario, the freezer becomes the best ally of savings, allowing discounts of up to 40%. However, saving can be expensive. Science and gastronomy issue an urgent warning: the problem of Christmas poisoning is usually not the original product, but rather our management of the cold at home. The golden rule: immediacy. The most common mistake begins at the front door. According to CuidatePlusmany consumers make the mistake of leaving seafood in the refrigerator “for a couple of days” before deciding to freeze it. Microbiology explains that the final quality depends directly on the initial state. You have to freeze it “as soon as you get home” to stop the proliferation of microorganisms in its tracks. Furthermore, prior preparation is a step that we cannot skip. As highlighted in the online fishmonger Mariskitoit is essential to wash the pieces well and, above all, dry them with absorbent paper. The outside humidity creates ice crystals that damage the fiber of the animal, ruining its texture. It is not just a question of flavor, but freezing is the only safe barrier to neutralize parasites like Anisakis. Each species has its manual. Not all seafood accepts the same treatment. To avoid errors that ruin the product, we must distinguish the families: Large Crustaceans (Crabs, crabs, crabs): They should always be frozen cooked. The professional trick is to wrap them in a cloth moistened with their own cooking water so that they do not dry out. a detail: they should be stored with their legs up to prevent the internal broth from being lost (“the chub broth“). Small Crustaceans (Prawns, prawns, crayfish): They prefer raw, especially if they are going to be grilled. In the case of crayfish, although crude oil can aesthetically blacken the headits quality is not altered; If you prefer to avoid this, pre-cooking is a valid alternative. Bivalves (clams, mussels): There is a technical debate here. In the sources consulted, some of them suggest steam them beforehand so that the meat does not stick to the shell, others hold which must be raw to keep their marine essence intact. The forbidden: never freeze barnacles or oysters. Their texture is destroyed and, in the case of oysters, it is extremely difficult to know if the animal has died before the process, raising the risk of toxicity. The moment where everything can be ruined. Yes, we are talking about the defrosting process. The gold standard It is non-negotiable: always in the refrigerator, never at room temperature or under hot water. The safest method is to use a rack over a tray. This prevents the shellfish from coming into contact with the water it releases, a place where bacteria “have their fun.” If time is of the essence, from a food safety portal recommends submerging the piece in cold water with salt in an airtight bag, but they prohibit the use of the microwave because it “cooks” the edges of the seafood and ruins its texture. How do they last in our refrigerators? According to the fishmonger Solo Mariscosthe freezer must reach at least -18ºC. In the refrigerator, the optimal temperature ranges between 0ºC and 4ºC. But the cold also has enemies. From Mariscos Carrillo warn that the air in the refrigerator dries out the product; Therefore, they recommend covering the seafood with a damp cloth. Regarding the times, Mariscos Gallego set expiration date to the “trunk of memories”: bivalves should not spend more than 2 months frozen and large crustaceans a maximum of 3 to 4 weeks if we want them to maintain their premium quality. Can I die from poor intake? Food poisoning is not just an upset stomach. bacteria like Salmonella, E.coli wave Vibrio They can cause everything from severe dehydration to sepsis (a fatal immune system response). Additionally, there is the danger of toxins; as Dr. Masarat Jilani explains in a report to The Guardiansome like those of Bacillus cereus (common in reheated seafood rice) they resist even the heat of cooking. Added to this is the problem about heavy metals. Although shellfish (prawns, mussels) usually have low levels of mercury, we should avoid large species such as bluefin tuna or swordfish in pregnant women and children under 10 years of age. The safety test on the plate. As a final piece of advice, there is one piece of advice that is infallible: the “hit test“. Before cooking a clam, if it is open and does not close when you give it a little touch, it is dead and should go directly in the trash. Christmas is a time to enjoy, but as Dr. Jilani concludes“most poisonings disappear within days, but prevention is the only way to avoid extreme cases.” This year, don’t let saving in your shopping cart be a bet against your health. Image | Unsplash Xataka | The great Christmas revolution in Spain is not the millions of LED lights: it is the rise of “Tardebuena” and “Tardevieja”

Three high-end mobile phones at knockdown prices, the Asus Xbox is now on sale and more, Bargain Hunting before Christmas

by

There is less than a week left until Christmas arrives and many stores have launched numerous campaigns and offers focused on this holiday. In the new Bargain Hunting of the week we are going to review the best deals on mobile phones, consoles, headphones and more that we have seen all week and that, of course, are still available. Asus Rog Xbox Ally by 499 eurosthe consolidated PC of the two brands is now available on sale. Google Pixel 10 by 764.15 eurosa very reasonable price for one of the two best Google phones. AirPods 4 by 149 eurosthe same (official) price as headphones without noise cancellation. nintendo switch 2 by 469 eurosthe console pack that includes the Super Mario video game. Ring Indoor Camera 2 by 24.99 eurosAmazon’s indoor surveillance camera at half price. Asus Rog Xbox Ally Last October the Asus Rog Xbox Ally It arrived in stores in style considering that we are talking about a very interesting collaboration in order to play video games on a consolidated PC. By 499 euros (before 599 euros), it is a fairly complete device: processor Ryzen Z2 from AMD, 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage and IPS anti-glare screen 7 inches with 120 Hz refresh rate. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Google Pixel 10 If there are some mobile phones that have received a huge number of offers in recent weeks, they are those from Google. MediaMarkt right now has them with a double of discounts through a direct discount and the coupon “MM15GOOGLEPIXEL“, which must be entered before processing the purchase. The Google Pixel 10 Pro is the one that has the best quality-price ratio at the cost 764.15 euros instead of 1,079 euros. However, the rest of the mobile phones have also received very good discounts. If you want to take a look at them, these are their prices: Google Pixel 10 Pro (128GB) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links AirPods 4 If you are looking for good Bluetooth headphones, especially TWS, be careful because the AirPods 4 have fallen to 149 euros (before 199 euros) at PcComponentes. We are talking about the same price – in this official case – as the same headphones without noise cancellation. This model sold by PcComponentes does comes with active noise cancellationin addition to a good battery and spatial audio and conversation detection. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links nintendo switch 2 Most of the offers that the nintendo switch 2 They have landed directly on AliExpress with Asian and some Spanish versions. Other stores like Amazon have also been lowering the price and right now you find one of the best: the Nintendo Switch 2 along with ‘Mario Kart World’ stays for 469 euros (previously 509 euros), the same price (again official) that the console had without a game when it was launched. And we talk about Nintendo’s most expensive video game. Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Ring Indoor Camera 2 If you are traveling during Christmas or any time afterward, it is good to have a good surveillance camera. The Ring Indoor Camera 2 Right now it is half price on Amazon, since it has dropped to 24.99 euros (before 49.99 euros). It is an indoor camera that has two-way communication, is compatible with Alexa, offers HD resolution and can be placed on the stand or on a wall. Ring Indoor Camera 2nd Gen The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Asus, Google, Apple, Nintendo, Amazon In Xataka | The best mobile phones (2025), we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | Best wireless headphones. Which one to buy and 21 models from 15 euros to 470 euros

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.