For those of you who are new to living in Spain, you need to be warned about the dreaded ´puente´ in December. The Puente (meaning ´bridge´ in Spanish) is the term given to the period of time adjoining the 2 Spanish national bank holidays that fall on the 6th and the 8th December.

Most businesses in Spain choose to ´bridge´ the gap in the holidays by adding a 3rd day to the vacation (the 7th), meaning that the country grinds to a standstill for 3 entire days. I can´t quite imagine any other country being able to afford to down tools for 3 days a couple of weeks before Xmas.

The problem with the Puente is not so much the actual holidays – after all, the 6th December celebrates the forming of the national constitution, while the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on the 8th. The real problem is that each year, nobody really knows what the rules are – when will the shops be open, when will the schools shut – pretty fundamental issues for most of us.