Christmas

Saturday, I began the Christmas festivities at my directors house.  We celebrated Christmas Eve with her family.  As I said before it is the Polish day called Wigilia.  They have 12 different dishes on the table (you wouldn't think that would be hard to do).  All the meals are meat free besides certain kinds of fish and they still have the bones on them. :) To begin the mea there is a waffer that is divided and shared between the family.  This reminded me a lot of my family traditions.  We would go around the room and talk about the person and "brag" on the person who gave us the gift.  Here we go to a person and share our wishes for this person in the next year and then we each take a piece from the other persons waffer.  I was a little awkward as I wasn't exactly ready for this but it was very special.  Always looking at families and cultures and traditions that people have to see what traditions I might have with my family one day.  This is a cool adaptation to the tradition my parents started when we were kids.  

On Sunday I had the wrong time of the service and so I was late getting to church but was able to spend some time with a friend I haven't seen in awhile.  Then after church I went to another friends house to visit with her and her family for lunch.  I spent Easter with Maddie this past year and I have been able to hang out with her family a lot.  They are really neat people.  Her parents had just been in India and they brought me back a Sari.  It is so beautiful. I hope one day I'll be able to actually wear it in India.  :)  Then I was able to rest some (I've had a bad cough lately). 

While most people in America ended their celebrating yesterday in Poland there is a third day of Christmas (or as they say Christmas day 2). I have learned they tend to celebrate holidays a day longer than we do in America. :)  Today was very relaxing as I went to my principals house.  We had a turkey and cranberry sauce, which she had never cooked before. Because I was the American she asked me to cut the turkey because her and her husband didn't know how to do it. I laughed and did it with pleasure even though I have never done it before. ;) It was delicious! Later her youngest son came downstairs and didn't think he'd like it but tried it anyways and he thought it was really good.  After a few movies I headed home for nice evening of reading.  

It is a lot of work and energy for Christmas around here but it was wonderful to get to spend each day at a different house and get to know each person more.  Christmas wasn't what I expected it to be this year and while it was difficult to be away from my family for the first time, each day was a blessing.  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas too filled with many new memories. Love and miss you!