It fascinates me every year the many different traditions that people have for their holiday season. For my family, we celebrate Christmas basically twice, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Wigilia (Christmas Eve) is when we do up hold some Polish traditions. We gather together before dinner and we each get a piece of Oplatek (Christmas wafer), we say a prayer and remember the ones that have gone before us. Then we share with one another a little piece of each others wafer and wish for a healthy prosperous year ahead with love.
Next is dinner full of fried fish, homemade pierogies (my favorite- potato and cheese), fixins, and homemade desserts. We sit, talk and catch up with those whom we don't see often. When everyone is full and dinner is mostly cleaned up, we move to the living room to play a game of White Elephant or Yankee Swap, if you will. There is a gift for everyone and each person takes a turn picking a gift, or with your turn you can steal a gift from someone who already has chosen. Its great fun and can be quite chaotic when a select few steal each others multiple times.
And finally Babcie (Grandma) gives us our stockings, or Home Depot buckets in my Dad's case, that she has filled with amazing goodies. To me it is a great, yet relaxing evening of just seeing my family and making memories. Sadly, to say our family has lost some wonderful members in the past few years. I too have not been home for Christmas in 8 years. Every year I have missed, I call and get to talk to everyone but its not the same. I feel my family is very close, reason at least for me is some of what I know from the past is still happening. Though the phone calls leave me in tears every time.
Christmas Day consists of gifts from Santa under the tree, my Mom in the kitchen, whipping up some more masterpieces. Dad and my brother in front of the TV playing their new shoot-um-up video game they found in their stocking(s) hours earlier.
Around lunch time, those we were with the night before and more start showing up for another fun day of food and laughter. "I'll be home for Christmas. If only in my dreams"
To:
V-Ski & Crotty clan.
Merry Christmas. Wesołych Świąt
Hope to be home real soon.
I Love you.
