"In Italy, the Nativity was celebrated by building a large crèche, surrounded by a village, filling a stocking with fruit and nuts and having wonderful elborate meals on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day. Our family continued those traditions in America, except the crèche was smaller and a Christmas tree was added...."

Marco brings the family into the present—through past holidays, new forms of celebration, and the ongoing joy of traditions old and new.

Marco sings an offensive slur for Italians, David shrieks a line from Singing In The Rain, Marie's kitchen apparently explodes. These are bloopers and outtakes from the wildly popular Italian-American podcast that everyone wants to be a part of. Except Stanley Tucci, for some reason.

"She placed only a nickle bet on the number Papa had chosen, and put 95 cents into her small coin purse to use at the grocery store. She never made it to the store though, because she went into labor, and within hours was in the hospital, giving birth to a son—namely, me."

Marco came into this world as a good-luck charm for his father, and with a lesson in frugality from his mother.

"My father’s cousin, Antonio Zaza, was physically unable to make the journey. But a passport had already been paid for and money had been set aside for the voyage. So it was decided that someone was going to use this passage to America to start supporting the family back in Molfetta, Italy."

Corrado set himself to work, took advantage of an immigration amnesty, and build an American life.

"After being here for almost two years, Papa decided to obtain citizenship, and inquired from an influential Italian-American how to go about it—but without having to go to classes to study American Civics and History. This person, whose identity my father vaguely referred to as a low-ranking Mafia member, arranged a midnight meeting with the judge who presided over the naturalizations in the courtroom. My father’s only instructions were to bring with him two quarts of the best liquor he could find, and to present them to the judge."

Marco's father secures his American citizenship, beginning the Italian-American phase of the Zaza family.

"Now age 26, and engaged to be married, Gaetano decided to leave Italy again, promising his wife-to-be and her family that he would return in three years. And after traveling to France, he departed from Cherbourg on the ship Gothland on October 9, 1920."

Marco's father journeyed to America three times before remaining permanently. 

"I assumed this was Anthony's yearly Christmas call. Preparing to rub it in about the cold northern weather he and Judy were having in New York while Marie and I were walking on the beach, I asked about the weather up north. He replied it was pretty good, but changed the subject by asking me if I was sitting down, because he had some news to give me."

Marco uses the renewal of an old friendship to discuss the ever-shifting line between family and friends. 

"Our common denominator was our Italian heritage, of which we were both extremely proud. We shared everything. At month’s end, when we were broke, we bought and shared a loaf of bread to make mayonnaise or catsup sandwiches. In early 1961, Anthony was rotated back to the States for discharge and in April of that year I also was discharged. Each went home, he to New York, and I to Youngstown, Ohio. We promised to keep in touch, and we were true to our word...."

Marco tells of how coincidences can often reveal how much we have in common with the friends we choose to be close to.