Christmas: Is it Over??

[Guest guest]

Hey Michelle,

 

> Ok, I'm hoping that everyone had a wonder Christmas or whichever holiday you

> celebrate, and I hope that everyone got all that they wished for, whether it

> was something huge, or just a simple hug and an I love you.

 

The latter is more valuable and more lasting .. methinks. ;-)

 

> Now, is it over yet? Is the rushing around and madness done with for a

> moment? Do I actually have 5 secs to my self to breathe???

 

Not over on this end .. and it sounds like its the same on yours.

 

> Nope...not me. Tonight we get to go to my mom's house and do the festivities

> there, and then I get to spend the next two weeks baking and storing food for

> Russian Christmas.

 

Yep .. same here. Ceptin the baking ain't being done by me. ;-) We

too are gonna celebrate the Russian New Year and Christmas as close to

tradition as possible.

 

> I have to make Ponchiki (similar to honey doughnuts), Blinchki (kinda like

> a crepe filled with sour cream), and Potato pancakes.

 

Blinchki I love with a passion .. Ponchiki I haven't had yet but I am

told I will have soon. ;-)

 

We plan to have some of the single Russian folks over for dinner on New

Year Eve .. the ladies claim they must have champaign that night but if

I can't find some Russian or European champaign then they'll have to

settle for wine cause Turkish champaign is pretty bad stuff. The Red

Wines and Beer here are great .. but champaign just ain't their thing.

The men say they would rather toast with vodka so I bought a few bottles

of Georgievskaya Russian Vodka. ;-) We'll be watch a Russian TV channel

early on to see when the clock in the Spasskaya Tower in Moscow strikes

midnight .. and later a Turkish TV channel to catch the New Year here ..

and we'll toast both. Not likely to toast the time the New Year comes

in in New York cause it will be like 7 in the morning here then .. but

if the folks wanna hang on long enough we'll probably have breakfast

with Bloody Marys. ;-)

 

> My aunt is making the kielbasa and the borsht and the others are bringing

> different side dishes and desserts.

 

Gonna be a real good one for y'all I am sure. We are having borscht

tonight .. I like it a lot and always pig out on it. Dark bread and

village butter .. and cloves of raw garlic on the side. :-)

 

There are a good many dishes Tanya would like to cook but we can't find

one of the main ingredients here .. millet. Turks don't eat it. One

Russian family has opened a Russian delicatessen in Ankara and they

plan to bring it in soon.

 

> After we're done eating, we'll go down the street to the Russian Orthodox

> Church and listen to the services and have my father translate them (since

> none of us understand a word of what they are saying) and then go back to

> my aunt's and open our gifts.

 

Sounds like y'all are gonna have a gud one fer'shur .. and hoping all

goes as you have planned. :-)

 

Some trivia for them that might not be aware .. Russian Christmas is

purely religious now .. its the New Year when the Russian Santa figure

shows up and its the New Year that gifts are exchanged.

 

Christmas celebrations were banned in the USSR from 1917 to the collapse

in 1991 .. that alone is enough (methinks) to make these celebrations

dear to even those who do not practice Christianity. Additionally, its

for that reason that the New Year is when the Russian version of Santa

shows up .. the Russian people got slick and slide a bit of Christmas

into New Year during the Soviet era. ;-)

 

Just today we were watching a parade on Russian TV and saw Ded Moroz

(Grandfather Frost) and his trusty sidekick, Snequrochka (Snow Maiden).

They'll show up on New Year Eve .. not on the Russian Christmas. Our

Yolka (Christmas Tree) is lit up and I have two sets of Matryoshka

(stacked dolls) set out .. one of them is of US Presidents.

 

Here's a site that shows the Santas from around the world.

 

http://pittsburgh.about.com/cs/pictures/l/bl_santas_1.htm

 

> So, how was everyone elses holiday and Christmas?

> ))

> Michelle

 

Great from this end .. and its only 1/3 past. ;-)

 

Wishing all a great time whatever you plan .. and hope one of the Santa

rascals has either been good to you or will be yet.

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com