Ci Siamo (We're There)!

Let's look at a few idiomatic expressions people tend to use when holidays are approaching. They're useful at other times of the year, too.

The title of this lesson is ci siamo (we are there). It literally means "we are there," or "we are here," but often means "this is the moment we've all been waiting for" or "we have succeeded." It can also mean "this is the moment we were dreading!"

Ecco qua, ci siamo quasi.

Here we go, we're almost there.

Caption 73, Anna e Marika - Hostaria Antica Roma
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And when we use it in the negative, non ci siamo, it can mean, "this is not a good thing." It's a synonym for non va bene (this is not OK).

No, no, non ci siamo.

No, no, we're not getting anywhere.

Caption 91, L'Italia a tavola - Interrogazione sulla Sardegna
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Natale è alle porte [Christmas is at the doors] (Christmas is just around the corner).

Siamo sotto Natale. Sotto usually means "under/underneath/below," but in this case, it means during, or we could construe it to mean under the influence of the holidays.

Sotto le feste, i negozi fanno orari straordinari (around/during the holidays, shops keep extended hours).

In Italy, le feste non finiscono più (the holidays never end).

Christmas starts on the 24th of December with la vigilia (Christmas Eve) and lasts until la Befana (Epiphany). Only after that do kids go back to school and things get back to normal.

The 26th of December is Santo Stefano, (Saint Stephen's Day), a perfect time for visiting relatives you didn't see on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Traditionally, shops are closed, but oggi giorno (these days), anything goes.

And if there is a weekend in the middle of the festivities, there's il ponte (a four or five-day weekend, literally, "the bridge").

Quando una festa viene il giovedì, spesso si fa il ponte (when there's a holiday on Thursday, we often take Friday off for a long weekend).