The Novena de Aguinaldos is the longest tradition of a Colombian Christmas: nine consecutive nights, from December 16th to the 24th, in a different house each time and almost always with the same people. And every night somebody has to bring something. This guide covers both positions: the guest who does not know what to bring, and the host who has to feed twenty people without repeating themselves nine times.
What the Novena de Aguinaldos is, and when
It is nine consecutive nights, December 16th to the 24th. Each night there is a reading, carols are sung, and something is passed around to eat. The religious part is the frame; the part people actually organise is the other one: who hosts, who brings the snacks, and who brings the aguinaldos for the games.
In Medellín and the Área Metropolitana it usually rotates: one night at grandmother's, one at an uncle's, one at the office. Which means almost nobody hosts nine times, but almost everybody is a guest several times.
If you are invited: what to bring
The unwritten rule is simple: you bring something that gets shared, not a gift for one person. An individual present at a novena of twenty people creates more awkwardness than pleasure.
What always fits:
- Something sweet that serves itself. A tray of donuts, chocolate-dipped strawberries, cookies. It goes on the table and your job is done.
- Something that needs no kitchen. If you arrive with something to heat, plate and wash up, you have handed the host your homework.
- Something that survives the night. Novenas start late and run long. What melts at eight will not reach eleven.
If there are children in the house, the box of sweets disappears before anything else. It is predictable and worth planning for. Our artisanal bakery is built around exactly that: things you pass around by hand with nothing to serve.
If you are the host: what gets handed out
The host has two separate jobs and they are worth keeping apart. One is the food for the night. The other is the aguinaldos, the prizes for the games, handed over one at a time.
For the first, one large tray works. For the second, the opposite works: many small identical units, so nobody compares.
The snacks, without overcomplicating it
A novena is not a meal, it is a long snack. Whatever is served has to be edible standing up, with one hand and no cutlery, because people are singing or playing.
Three formats cover the whole night: a sweet platter on a tray, strawberries or grapes in chocolate as individual portions, and something simple and savoury. None of it needs a plate.
How to cover nine nights without repeating
The usual mistake is to solve the first night beautifully and arrive at the fifth with no ideas. If the novena is always the same group, people notice the repetition.
What works is planning in blocks, not by night: decide up front which nights you bring something sweet, which something savoury, and which the aguinaldos for the games, then order it together. It costs less per unit and removes eight decisions.
If you draw a night with a lot of people, a bulk hamper or gift box settles it in one go.
When to order for December
Write to us in November. That is not a sales line: bakery items are made in batches and in December the batches fill. The closer to the 16th, the less room there is to choose format and colour.
If you need all nine nights covered, send us the dates at once and we will schedule it in blocks.
Delivery in Medellín and the Área Metropolitana
We deliver in Medellín, Envigado, Itagüí, Sabaneta, Bello and La Estrella. For novena nights we schedule delivery the same day, early, or the evening before if the house is far out.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Novena de Aguinaldos start?
It starts on December 16th and ends on the 24th, Christmas Eve. Nine consecutive nights, one per day, which is where the name novena comes from.
What do you bring when you are invited to a novena?
Something to share, not an individual gift. What always works is a tray or a box that can go on the table and be passed around: bakery items, chocolate-dipped strawberries, a sweet platter. If the novena is at someone else's house, bringing something ready to serve keeps you out of their kitchen.
How far ahead should December orders be placed?
For the nights of the 16th to the 24th, write to us in November. December fills up, and bakery items and bulk boxes are produced in batches. Send us the date and the number of people and we will confirm the real delivery date before you pay anything.