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With the “late” eating into the Christmas holidays, a new phenomenon gains weight in Spain: the Australian New Year’s Eve

December 30, 2025 by usatoday24

The year changes with the twelve bells midnight on December 31st. That has no discussion. What is questionable is that the New Year has to be celebrated at night. If you are more of a daytime person than a night person, if you don’t want to go to bed in the wee hours of the morning, hungover and resigned to spending the first morning of 2026 tossing and turning in bed… Why not bring the party forward a few hours? What if instead of gathering our family and friends for dinner we meet at noon? What if we ring in 2026 (or any other New Year) when they do it in Sydney, where the 12 bells ring when we are having lunch? What has happened? Bells, grapes, firecrackers, the first advertisement of the year, the trappings of the star presenter on duty, whether the layer of Ramonchu either the dress of the Pedroche… In Spain, New Year’s Eve has its traditions (apparently immutable), but that does not mean that more and more people choose to rethink how and especially when they celebrate the change of year. In fact, for a long time there has been a way to celebrate it that has gained followers: “Australian New Year’s Eve”. And what does it mean? It sounds exotic, but it’s actually very simple. The “Australian New Year’s Eve” consists of nothing more nor less than bringing forward the celebration of the New Year by a few hours. There is a 10-hour lag between Madrid and Sydney, which means that while in mainland Spain we sit at the table to eat in the most populated city in Oceania, there are in full transition of year. It is a simple geographical curiosity, but there are those who have seen in it a perfect hook to rethink when we celebrate the New Year in this corner of the planet. Instead of doing it at midnight, after an extensive dinner, they join the “Australian New Year’s Eve” and uncork the cava when the residents of Sydney or other regions of Australia, where they govern, do so. multiple time zones. One celebration does not have to exclude the other (a Spaniard can celebrate the New Year at 2:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m.), but it does help to shift the focus away from the night. It is similar to the “pre-grapes” that have been celebrated for years, but in a somewhat different way: with food, parties and using Australian time as a pretext. But… Is it successful? Yes. At least in certain regions of Spain, where the concept of “Australian New Year’s Eve” seems to have caught on. A quick search shows chronicles about early celebrations in Teruel, Castellon, Valencia, The Palm…but if there is a place where the ‘Australian-style’ party has found fertile ground, it is Alicante. It has been organized there for a long time a few years and has expanded to several municipalities. The celebration has become so profound, in fact, that it moves so many people in restaurants and at night parties. So many people? The newspaper recently Information asked that same question to hoteliers and found a surprising response. According to the president of the Alicante Restaurant Association (ARA) reservations for lunch and dinner on December 31 are already practically equal in number, which shows that more and more people are bringing forward the celebration of the New Year. What’s more, part of the nighttime demand appears to be shifting to midday, when customers find more diversity in exchange for cheaper rates. “In the evening pack, the normal thing is set menus, which are somewhat more expensive,” says the hotelier. Prices are around 100 or 110 euros, practically double that of lunch, which is also usually served without a set menu and includes a drink. At first glance it may seem that restaurants are losing, but the reality is that if the daily clientele and the dinner clientele are added, businesses gain demand. Furthermore, New Year’s Eve menus may be more expensive, but they also entail more expenses for the establishments, which reduces their final profitability. From another association of hoteliers in the province of Alicante, Apeha, confirm There are starting to be more reservations at midday than at night. Is it just business? No. The phenomenon is not only seen in bars and restaurants. Daytime celebrations, including symbolic grapes, music and “chimes” are also celebrated with institutional support of the town councils. In Senija they present them for example as “Bells in the Sun” and in Crevillent the City Council advertises both the “Australian Chimes” as the “New Year’s Eve Party”. They are not unique or isolated cases. In Alicante you can find other towns that have taken their festivals beyond nighttime hours. Why this success? The big question. Costs aside, Apeha provides a key piece of information: the regular customer who books a restaurant on the 31st at noon is usually, clarifypeople of a certain age or with small children. “It’s not so much young people who go to clubs as people who prefer to go out at noon to get home at a productive time.” The truth is that the “Australian New Year’s Eve” is not an isolated phenomenon. It coincides with two others that are going in the same direction. The first is the afternoon boom. As the supply (and demand) of leisure diversifies and is no longer monopolized at night, more and more people choose to visit bars and clubs earlier. Instead of going out at night he does it in the afternoon, which is felt at Christmas itself. “Australian New Year’s Eve” may be expanding, but so is the “Good Afternoon” and “New Year’s Afternoon”advanced versions of Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. More partying, less cooking. The other trend has to do with how we organize our Christmases and our habits in the kitchen. We start enjoying before December 24 or 31 because we are less willing to spend hours in the kitchen to prepare … Read more

Five board games that you can’t miss to have fun this New Year’s Eve with friends and family

December 26, 2025 by usatoday24

Christmas is a time when we tend to get together much more with friends and family, and not only on the two specific dates such as Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. If you want to have a fun time on Christmas evenings (especially this New Year’s Eve), count on a good assortment of board games will make a difference. We present five totally essential options that you cannot miss at home. Exploding Kittens In the corner intended for board games at home, one of the ones that cannot be missing is Exploding Kittens. This has managed to achieve the achievement of being the most supported game (in all history) in Kickstarter. One of the main reasons for the success of this game is that it allows you to play quick games of about 15 minutes and from 2 to 5 players. The objective is simple: build your own deck of cards while avoiding the explosion of any of the protagonist kitties. Asmodee Exploding Kittens, Game for children and adults from 7 years old The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Throw Throw Burrito Another game that has already had some success at gatherings with friends and family is Throw Throw Burrito. It is for ages 7 and up and the games (like the previous one) are quick (about 15 minutes) and between 2 to 4 players. It’s a board game very simple to play: you will get points with the cards you win, but you will lose them if you get hit by the soft burritos, which are the protagonists of the game. This game is created by the same authors as Exploding Kittens. Exploding Kittens Throw Throw Burrito The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Catan One of the essential board games if you like classic strategy games is Catan. It is designed for three or four players and the games last between 45 minutes and an hour. This is a game for bring out your negotiating streak. From Catan, it can be noted that you will never play two identical games. Likewise, you can buy separately a good number of expansionswith which to give greater depth to the game and have new gameplay options. Devir – Catan, Board Game The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza On any Christmas evening with children, I personally recommend Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza; a very simple gamebut with which fun and laughter are more than guaranteed. Created by Lupilo, it is perfect for players from 8 years old and the games can be played up to a maximum of eight players. The mechanics are simple and when the card matches the word it says, the last one to put their hand on the central amount wins the pile. The games are also quick, about 10 minutes. Ludilo – Taco Gato Goat Cheese Pizza | Board Games The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Trivial Pursuit The last of the board games that we believe are essential in any home is Trivial Pursuit in your classic version. Above all, it is a perfect option to have fun while learning about different categories. Of course, you should know that it is a game suitable for those over 16 years of age, although there are also editions for children and with specific themes, such as harry potterFor example. The objective of the game is simple: go around the board and answer the questions correctly. six categories (entertainment, geography, science and nature, sports, art and literature, history and hobbies) and get a cheese of each color or category to be declared the winner. Hasbro Gaming Trivial Pursuit (in Spanish) 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 | Exploding Kittens, Hasbro, In Xataka | The 41 Best Board Games: From ‘Catan’ to ‘Gloomhaven’ In Xataka | These are the board games that are never missing in my suitcase when I go on vacation with my partner

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

December 24, 2025 by usatoday24

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

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

December 20, 2025 by usatoday24

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”

We finally have Noah’s videos building his ark, Jesus Christ multiplying fish and Eve being tempted. Thanks to the AI, of course

June 8, 2025 by usatoday24

It has all the meaning of the world: according to the generative IAS They become more and more sophisticatedcontent creators to use and pull social networks are making more and more spectacular videos. And among those who are being applied the most to launch amazing content we have Christian devotees, who are taking advantage of the abilities of artificial intelligence to spread passages from the Bible with an overwhelming realism. Word of God. It is not very clear where the trend began, but it is having a disproportionate reception. At the forefront of these contents are accounts as SECRETOSDELABIBILA0 (more than 500,000 followers) Lokiprosperity (with almost 50,000) or Vlogsbiblia (with more than 30,000), which feedback to each other and parasitate, so it is not very clear where the proverbial eggs and chicken of these contents are. What are they going. The contents are diversified according to the poster, but all coincide in what focuses the profile of ‘Vlogsbiblia’: passages of the Bible recreated with AI and in which the protagonists narrate in the first person and looking to the screen, looking at it as if they were recorded in a mobile. Is not recreated in the ARCA CONSTRUCTION, Daniel in the lions pitthe Multiplication of breads and fishMaria pregnant with JesusJesus Before being crucifiedEva making routines of Skincare In Eden or the same Eva being tempted. In all cases there is a certain sense of humor derived from anachronism and a few harmless jokes at the expense of ICTs Influencers They are surprising, but it is not the only possible approach in this clash between Christianity and generative artificial intelligences. Bible stories. The most popular of these profiles, ‘Lossecretosdelabiblia0’, also recreates with the passages with more traditional planning, such as small films. This also enters beliefs that touch not very traditional Christian teachings: the recipe for A bread that gives immortality And that is in the Bible, the return of Jesus with apocalyptic dyesthe complex angelic mythology, Crazy Giants of four meters in the Old Testament and warnings against the PASCUA EGG PAGANISM. An extensive task of propaganda of faith with videos that reach the seven million views. The sanctification. Undoubtedly, the ‘Los SecretosDeBiblia0’ videos are among the most realistic that have been seen on social networks. They do not allow, evidently, pieces generated by AI, but the relative naturalness of voices and images is a jump with respect to, for example, the first and still grabbed videos of ‘Lokiprosperity’, of simple evangelical advice starring A Jesus emerging between the clouds either asking permission to enter your home. More than enough, in any case to get donations from the target audience of these videos, the same people who believe that the nonsense of AI What do Facebook are real are realand that invariably comment with “blessings” or names of verses. In this last type of videos, which respond to ask how “Are pigs demons?“And they have a marked apocalyptic tone, profiles like ‘focus like’Prophets of Labiblia‘(More than 800,000 followers). Our particular favorite? A video that proposes an unusual cross between evangelization by AI and the tics of influencers that make Jesus, Mary and his disciples in Podcasters. The Christianization of Tiktok. These types of accounts are part of a unique use of social networks by religious currents of great penetration in Spanish -speaking users. We have already talked about profiles that offer an innocent, almost harmless version of Christianity: Bible readers They customize their books, nuns turned into authentic Influencersand a larger scale, groups of Pop music like Hakunawhich manage to add thousands of listeners thanks to the diffusion provided by Tiktok or Instagram style platforms. Hashtags like #christiantiktokwith more than 22 million publications or #JOVENESCRISTIANOSits equivalent in Spanish, with almost five million, are flag bearers of this incursion of the youngest in social redees. Although in the case of these videos generated with AI there is an extra pecuniary component: all profiles link to courses to learn to make digital and evangelizing chrys yourself. Public attentive to all this there are, of course.

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