Because I know that not everyone reads all the comments to all the posts, I took the liberty of \u201cborrowing\u201d two entries from the \u201cPolish Christmas Eve Abroad\u201d post and including them here, as I think they are great and everybody should see and read them. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
The first one is from Kim in Boston, and I think it\u2019s absolutely perfect what she does for Christmas. I wish I could duplicate her holiday dinner, but alas, in my current location it won\u2019t be possible. Read on, this is brilliant:<\/p>\n
\u201cMy husband is Polish, we live in Boston. I surprised him our second married Christmas with a Polish feast I had researched and cooked. We read the Christmas story from Luke. We do a reading about the importance and symbols of the Polish Christmas traditions then break the blessed wafer with any guests we have. I set an extra place at the table and place straw under the tablecloth. <\/em>Like his family, we include meat and do a smaller variety of Polish dishes but with my own twist – mushroom\/barley soup, several varieties of pierogi<\/strong>, meat filled cabbage rolls, prune stuffed pork roast, beet salad, kraut w\/polish sausage, rye bread, fruitcake, chocolates and cookies. <\/em><\/p>\n
On Christmas Eve we exchange a Polish gift – book, crystal, ornament\u2026use our Polish names, listen to Polish music and so on. On Christmas day we have a traditional American Christmas with stockings and ham and turkey. We open the remainder of our gifts Christmas night.<\/em><\/p>\n
We also began the tradition of inviting friends over for Sunday evening suppers during Advent for a \u201cPolish Christmas Eve\u201d. Everyone has loved it, in spite of my husbands family being offended – it\u2019s not traditional and I\u2019m not Polish and blah, blah, blah!\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Sadly, I don’t understand her husband\u2019s family\u2019s reaction, certainly not in the Christmas spirit. But that\u2019s just goes to show you how fiercely protective Poles are when it comes to \u201ctheir\u201d traditions and customs.<\/p>\n
The second entry is from Kaz in Malaysia (Malezja<\/strong>), and I also like what she does \u2013 a combination of Polish and tropical celebration:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do both, which is interesting in equatorial Malaysia! J, my Polish hubby, was adamant that we wouldn\u2019t have wet tissue; i.e. carp! But it\u2019s Christmas Eve dinner, Portuguese Eurasian food (roast chicken, curry, rice), salads, pates, mulled wine, fake fireplace. And we go truly international for dessert\u2026NY baked cheesecake, crepes suzette. I should take photos, shouldn\u2019t I? <\/em>Oh, and we had Miko\u0142aj<\/strong> with the kids, and are looking forward to post-breakfast Christmas Day for the family loot-swapping!\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Mary in the UK, on the other hand, is a very lucky lady, as she can have both \u2013 one year the full thing in Poland, and the next \u2013 a mixed English\/Polish Christmas in the UK:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe tend to do both when we\u2019re in the UK and have more of a Polish Christmas when in Poland.
\nOddly, I only do the church thing in the UK.<\/em>We don\u2019t have the 12 dishes and the only person who\u2019ll eat the fish with Mr K is my dad.
\nWe do try to have different things each year through and people tend to enjoy it. Or they dsay they do anyway!<\/em><\/p>\nPresents are still a 25th thing as is the usual Christmas dinner (which I miss every other year.)
\nIt does tend to spread things out because we see our extended family on the 26th!<\/em><\/p>\nSo, that\u2019s how we do it. It\u2019s generally an amalgamation of traditions because neither of us wants the other to feel home sick.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Ladies, thank you so much for all your comments and suggestions. They sure gave me something to go on. I still don\u2019t know how exactly I\u2019m going to go about it, but at least now I think it\u2019s not as impossible as it had first sounded to me.
\nIt’s been already decided however, that nasza Wigilia<\/strong> (our Christmas Eve) would be moved to Christmas Day, but other than that, if we pay no attention to the calendar, we should be fine.
\nNow I just need to figure out where to get op\u0142atek<\/strong>. Hmmm\u2026
\nP.S1. And forget about the fish. I can\u2019t stand carp. Nienawidz\u0119 karpia<\/strong>.<\/p>\nand P.S2. And I think it’s safe if I say that I’m speaking for everybody here, Miss Kaz, we’re expecting photos of your polsko-malezyjskiej Wigilii<\/strong>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Because I know that not everyone reads all the comments to all the posts, I took the liberty of \u201cborrowing\u201d two entries from the \u201cPolish Christmas Eve Abroad\u201d post and including them here, as I think they are great and everybody should see and read them. \ud83d\ude42 The first one is from Kim in Boston…<\/p>\n