Christmas traditions I'll be missing this year or finding the bright side of having to work during Christmas vacations

Christmas is literally around the corner and, even though I always complained about it when I was back home, I've come to realize that I'll be missing it. In Catalonia, and in my family, there are some different Christmas traditions, and because some are crazy, and because, as I said, I'll be missing them, I decided to write something about it. 

The tradition in Christmas Eve is the following (I want to make clear that I am talking about my family, it doesn't have to be exactly the same for all of them): first we have some kind of delicious dinner that involves the best sweets ever (turrons and neules (seriously, they are the BEST THING EVER, if you don't believe me go find a Spanish bakery where they sell them and try (don't buy them at the supermarket unless there is no other option))), after dinner we do something that we call "Cagar el tió". The "Caga-tió" is a Catalan tradition, this involves a log, that sometimes has a face painted on, that "brings" (the correct word is shits) presents for the children or the whole family. The thing is that the "tió" appears some days before Christmas Eve, I think it's around the 13th of December, and you have to feed him so it can shit presents (I just wrote that, but it is like this). Some families give him fruit peels because they are dicks, in my family we always gave him cookies and chocolate, which meant that he ended up constipated on Christmas Eve (but it was awesome). So, for the "tió" to shit you need to hit him with a stick, and that's the best part. I mean, you hit something and it gives you presents! Oh, my how much will I be missing it! Christmas Day and Boxing Day are boring compared to Christmas Eve, it is sure nice because you meet with the whole family and eat (if you have counted all the days, it's THREE days of eating like pigs, for me it could be about eating the sweets for the whole day and nothing would make me happier). 

On another hand, as you might have realized from the title, I am working these days. It is not too bad because I don't really feel as if it were Christmas. It's warm, I'm still wearing sandals, and I still have to hear a single Christmas carol (good for me). Today, we were only three at work, and my friend and I had lunch together sitting on the grass (not at the sun, because there were some stupid clouds covering it), we ate a salad she brought and some kind of paella I cooked. It was my first paella EVER, and it wasn't too bad, well it was quite good, but there is room for improvement (there is always room for improvement). We also ate some turró (the one you buy at the supermarket, I'm still waiting for the packet my dad sent me with delicious delicious turró to arrive. It was nice, and relaxing, and we are doing it again tomorrow because we still have food left.