Enrique is all set for the holiday season; Mr Gay Europe Christmas photo session is done, he hopes the family dog will ruin the Christmas tree once again, he is looking forward to celebrating a quiet Christmas eve together his family and he reveals he will be sailing away into the new year.
The photos from the Christmas photo session is all out and about, but here at MrGayEurope.com you can have a look at the whole collection in our photo slider.
With the photos taken and posted, we asked Enrique what Christmas means to him.
– Christmas for me has lost it religious value. I am Catholic but fail to identify as such. Being with my brothers and parents for me is important all year long, but since this is the time of year we all get to take some time off work together I appreciate the spirit of sharing each other’s company.
– How do you celebrate Christmas and New Year Eve?
– For Christmas Eve, which is more important to Germans than 25.12. I stay with my family. They live in a village of about 500 people two hours from Frankfurt. It’s rural, quiet and very relaxing.
This Year I will be in Singapore for New Years Eve. I am kind of escaping all the planning and decision making to sail into the new year on a boat with one of my besties.
– Do you have a Christmas secret, something that must happen, or you must do – otherwise it is not Christmas?
– No Christmas without a tree! Otherwise it’s just a family gathering. When my parents used to live in Frankfurt, we would go to church in the afternoon of the 24th before celebrating. Not so much for the mass but more to see old friends, high school enemies and neighbours. It was always nice to see how they are doing.
– What is your finest Christmas memory?
– When our family dog knocked over the tree. Since we always have had dogs, it happened more than once. It keeps you up and running. And some of the ugly Christmas decoration needs to be replaced every once in a while, anyway.
– The holidays are also the time of the year where it is easy to feel lonely – what are your thoughts on that?
– In our modern world there is no need to feel lonely. There are so many people, groups and activities you can do – also over the holidays. As I always say: “Call your grandparents” – visit them if you feel lonely. They will make you feel better.
– A lot of kids choose the holidays to tell the family that they are gay, have a gay boyfriend/girlfriend, that they are trans etc. Do you have any good advice in that respect?
– Do it! Be the best person you can be! Nicole Kidman in a famous quote once said: “My purpose as a mother is to love my children unconditionally. Whatever their path is and whatever decision they have to make: it’s my job to support them.” And so should your parents. If the family doesn’t get along with it: Turn to your community. You can’t choose family, but you can choose love.
– If you – as your Christmas wish – you could ask our readers to do one thing this Christmas, what would that thing be?
– Start with little steps to make us all better: Put down your phone and compliment someone on the train, stop using plastic (there are tons of ways to avoid it) and be respectful even with your enemies. Kindness is free!
– And what would you personally like for Christmas this year? As Mr Gay Europe are you going all “Miss Universe” on us and wish for world peace?
– I want to be a better person. Not that I am not happy with myself today, but I want to learn more, get to know more people and travel more. In the end that’s all I will take from this world: Experience.
And seriously, how did you guess my favourite lines from Miss Congeniality:
Stan Fields: What is the one most important thing our society needs?
Gracie Hart: That would be harsher punishment for parole violators, Stan.
[crowd is silent]
Gracie Hart: And world peace!
And with that we think it’s time to wish you all a Merry Christmas and have a look at the photos.
Photos: Marco di Filippo / Mr Gay Europe
