Our Christmas Menu and Traditions

"Oh, by gosh, by golly, it's time for mistletoe and holly

Tasty pheasants, Christmas presents, countrysides covered with snow

Oh, by gosh, by jingle, it's time for carols and Kris Kringle

Overeating, merry greetings, from relatives you don't know

Then comes that big night,

Giving the tree the trim

You'll hear voices by starlight, singing a Yuletide hymn

Oh, by gosh, by golly, it's time for mistletoe and holly

Fancy ties an' granma's pies

An' folks stealin' a kiss or two

As they whisper, "Merry Christmas" to you!"

~~Frank Sinatra~~

When I think of our many Christmas traditions that are interwoven with our heritage, the hustle and bustle and occasional stress, I hum that song or listen to it on the CD player. Of course, Frank Sinatra sings it so...of course it's great! To bounce off of Ella's idea I thought I would write about some of our family's traditions and foods-some passed down from three or more generations. Food is an integral part of our family and there are holiday 'standards' when it comes to our menu's as you will see and I will explain below:

Christmas Eve Menu:

mushroom soup (a slovak Christmas eve tradition)

Blintzes with buttered bread crumb topping

(Blintzes, or 'Palacinta' are Polish crepes stuffed with ricotta cheese, green onions and topped with sour cream)

Lightly breaded tilapia

Small pot of shrimp scampi

Salad (to help digest all of these rich foods!)

This was a Polish tradition begun by my Great-Grandmother Tita (her name was Loretta) and Grand-pap Sonny that incorporated the idea of fasting on Christmas Eve and then feasting on Christmas day. It slowly evolved into a yummy, technically 'meatless' meal that now is a rich, yummy once-a-year tradition since seafood is so expensive. After we clean up ,we'll get comfortable, have a sing-a-long around the piano, and then light our Advent candles and Dad will read the account from Luke of the birth of Jesus by the fire. Then it is off to bed for the littles, and Sara and I enjoy "sister tea time" in our room, while Mom and Dad "hide" our presents...(we pretend we don't hear them...but we don't peek!)

Christmas Day:

We are instructed to not touch or look for a thing until Mum and Dad come to get us. We slowly wake up, get tea or coffee and sit down to open stockings and the gifts we made each-other. Before we search for our gifts with the previously written clues by Mum, we sit down to eat a small breakfast dessert to tide us over and sing Happy Birthday, Jesus. Following this, we search for our gifts from Mum and Dad that they hide all over the house, following rhyming clues that Mum writes. It is VERY fun!! We all bring our gifts back into the living room to each open one at a time....or in some semblence of order. :) We then eat our delicious Christmas Brunch, rest awhile, clean up and get ready to go to Ro-Ro's in the late afternoon. My favorite part is seeing my siblings and parents faces when they open their gifts I made or bought them.

Christmas Day Menu:

Some sort of breakfast coffee cake or strudel to sing 'Happy Birthday to Jesus.'

We light all five of the Advent candles and reflect on their meaning while Anna typically boisterously sings 'Happy birthday.' Then, our brunch consists of:

Home-made Kielbasi.

This tradition was also Grandma Tita's and it's interesting to make the day before...we buy ground pork butt and then mix a small amount of seasonings in it before sometimes stuffing it into the previously cleaned casings or making them into patties. It's somewhat slightly repugnant but tastes delicious!

Bobalki (small puffs of sweet bread dough smothered in butter and sauerkraut which is a slovak dish)

Sunny side up eggs and English muffins for whoever wants them

So there you have it folks! We had such fun making the blintzes yesterday and Sara and I got the hang of it!

The holiday of Christmas has been around awhile and certain traditions have come about as cultures grew and flourished. As we all practice certain traditions and customs (including foods!), and are enveloped in the love in the love and comfortable traditions of our ancestors, let us never forget the Ultimate Gift of Jesus.