Kolędy and Christmas festivities

I am busy, busy, busy with work. I have no time for anything and no time to write. I don’t even know why I bother, with the world coming to an end and all this Friday on my 13th wedding anniversary. It’s just a coincidence I’m sure.

This week one of my student’s showed me his record collection, I mean vinyl collection -that sounds cooler. I guess we are going steady now ;)

Lizzie and Rosie have been brushing up on their Christmas carols both in Polish and in English. “Gloria, i bezsensu Deo” is a popular tune in our house ;)

Christmas carols are called kolędy in Polish. So that would mean that caroling is kolędować or kolędowanie. Once upon a time, I found out that the priest was coming a-caroling to our building. I was pretty excited. The priest and 2 altar boys were going to come to our door and sing. How awesome, I thought. Polish priests rock! Except that when the priest comes caroling it doesn’t mean that he sings. Bummer. He just chats you up, blesses your home, says some prayers and accepts donations. That’s not quite what I had in mind.

We’ve been doing a lot of Christmas stuff such as cleaning our house, shopping, making lists and checking them twice, going to Santa Claus parties and whatnot. Santa Claus comes to our house twice, but we have the cover story all worked out. You see, Santa comes to our house on December 6th, Santa Claus Day, to get the girls’ Christmas letters and to leave something sweet. The real show is Christmas Eve/Christmas morning bardzo po amerykańsku.

First we hit the City Jarmark.

Pajda rules, by the way. It’s a big hunk of bread, spread with lard that has bits of meat in it and then topped with ogórki kiszone. Oh, unless you get something on the menu which was called (I swear I am not kidding) “Pajda Full Wypas”. In addition to lard it was topped with kielbasa, fried onions and optional bigos. Yummy.

Next, we hit the Village Santa Claus Day party sponsored by the local government. It was, um, interesting. All I have to say is that if you pick a guy to play Santa from the group of guys who drink in front of the shop, why don’t you pick the big, tall guy with a very Santa-like belly? Why pick the slimmest guy of them all? Maybe he was the most sober?

Rosie waiting above. Lizzie waiting below.

Then we hit the Village Jarmark where I reaffirmed my belief in the power of pajda and got to know that grzaniec, in fact, has a lot of alcohol in it.



   
In case I don’t catch you again before Christmas, I wish you a very Merry Christmas filled with family, delicious food, beautiful decorations, rest and relaxation.  Stay warm and safe travels.