Here in Spain, Christmas doesn’t really start until December 22nd. 🎄
Not when the lights go on. Not when Mariah Carey defrosts.
It starts when the Christmas Lottery is drawn.
If you’re new to Spain, let me explain this beautiful, slightly absurd, very Spanish tradition.Everyone buys lottery. Everyone.
At work, someone always appears in November with a clipboard and that look:
“We’re buying lottery. Do you want in?”
You don’t really want it.
But you say yes. Because what if they win and you’re the only one still working in January?
Families buy lottery together.
Groups of friends buy lottery together.
Bars sell lottery tickets (and somehow convince you that this bar is lucky).
Your hairdresser? Also selling lottery. Probably.
You don’t just buy one number. You buy pieces of hope:
- One with your colleagues
- One with your family
- One from “that bar where something good once happened”
Financial planning? No.
Emotional insurance? Absolutely.
December 22nd: the longest morning of the year
On December 22nd, Spain slows down.
TVs are on in offices.
People pretend to work but are actually refreshing WhatsApp groups.
And in the background, you hear it:
🎶 “Miiiiil eeeeuuuuros…” 🎶
The numbers are sung by the children of San Ildefonso, who have been doing this for centuries and somehow sound both angelic and slightly terrifying at the same time.
They don’t just say the numbers.
They sing them. Slowly. Repeatedly. Dramatically.
And you think:
“Is that my number?”
“No.”
“Wait… maybe?”
“No.”
“Definitely no.”
How much does it cost?
Let’s talk money. Don’t panic — this is Spain.
The full ticket, called un billete, costs 200€.
Almost nobody buys that.
What people usually buy is un décimo, which costs 20€.
That’s the famous little piece of paper everyone guards like it’s a passport.
Very often, you don’t even buy a full décimo.
You buy a share (5€, 10€… whatever the group decides).
That way, if you win… you all win.
And if you lose… well, you lose together too. Team spirit 🇪🇸
And the prizes?
The big one is El Gordo:
4 million euros per number.
If you have one décimo, that means 400,000€ before tax.
Not bad for 20€.
Enough to:
- Quit your job? Maybe.
- Take a very long holiday? Definitely.
- Reply “I’ll let you know” to every plan? 100%.
But this lottery isn’t about one single winner.
It spreads the money everywhere, like Christmas glitter (beautiful, impossible to clean).
There are:
- Second prize: 1,250,000€ per number
- Third prize: 500,000€ per number
- Fourth and fifth prizes
- Hundreds of smaller prizes
- Even prizes for being close to the winning number
Which means you might not become rich…
But you could win something. Or at least get your money back.
What about taxes?
Yes, Hacienda is always invited to the party.
Prizes over 40,000€ are taxed at 20%.
Below that? All yours. Enjoy.
The real reason people buy it
Most people don’t buy Christmas lottery because they truly believe they’ll become millionaires.
They buy it because:
- Everyone else is buying it
- It’s fun
- It feels very, very Christmas
And because for a few weeks, you get to think:
“What if this year…?”
And honestly?
That feeling alone might be worth the 20€. 🎄✨
