Christmas 🎄 plans and traditions

[Rick W]

You know why Santa is so jolly* (see below)?

Polish generally celebrate with family on Christmas Eve, it’s about the anticipation, patience, prayer for salvation, and then celebrate His coming with friends on Christmas Day.

It has been and typically remains more family oriented and religious, less commercial. When decorating the tree, each person picks an ornament with another, they each make a family wish, and they hang the ornament on the tree together. You hang an ornament one-by-one until you’ve wished/blessed with everyone (wow, then it’s a free for all, and later Mom puts all the ornaments in the right place). Oh, and before all this, Mom would verbally abuse Dad until all the ancient lights were lit and in place**

We had turkey and ham, and the Polish treats: gelatin pigs feet stew drizzled with vinegar, “sfartkie” (boiled red potatoes drizzled with bacon bits and grease), cucumbers in sour cream with onions and vinegar, potato-, cheese-, sauerkraut-, and berry perogies, “kluski” (quick-fried left over perogie dough), kielbasa, “chrustchikie” (bow-tie sugar twists), and I’m sure I’m missing a hundred.

My artistic Uncle Gene would put 2 pounds of butter together and carve it into the Baby Jesus in the Manger (a Lamb with a cross/staff at Easter). Torpedoed twice in the Polish merchant marine, later serving in Polish uniform in the British merchant marine, he learned to love North Atlantic seafood, and Mom always got fresh cod and prepared it special for him. Before eating, after the Prayer, like the ornaments, we’d walk around with bread (like a large wafer Host, earlier blessed by the Bishop) and break bread and eat, pray and pass love and thanks and good wishes to everyone attending individually.

“Good old Santa“ (known as Święty Mikołaj) a/k/a called Gwiazdor (gvia-zdoohr, Eng: The Bishop, St. Nicolas) historically visits children on Dec 6th, St. Nicolas Day, but that has been lost out-of-country. He comes during dinner now, and we all gather and open presents the rest of the evening. Around 10:00, in full dress, we’d walk to church singing carols (there are hundreds of Polish carols), gathering friends and momentum before midnight mass.

Christmas morning, more presents were opened, Dad took a little more abuse**, and it was a day of community and celebration. We’d visit, or we’d be visited by, friends and acquaintances all day and night. My friends always liked visiting me and my Polish family and friends because at 14, you were a man, and a shot of Polish vodka was tradition (I’m a little fuzzy on how everything ended Christmas Day).

Polish culture and tradition is akin to Our Country’s best military traditions: God, family and faith, nation and patriotism, honor and chivalry, etc.

What are your traditions, best memories, new family traditions?

My new friends: Wesołych Świąt i szczęśliwego Nowego Roku - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! My prayers and wishes that you and your family and loved ones have peace, happiness, success and good health, and that you share in community and giving, remembering those who serve and those in need.

**Oh, and over the years with my Mom’s “encouragement,” my Dad would drink Cherry Kijafa on the cold Holidays. It’s a sweet Danish cherry wine, like a port or sherry. After two wives, I’ve adopted this tradition too.

* & you know why Santa is so jolly? He knows where all the naughty girls are!!!

& stay humble!!!
( the little people like that!!)

 

[MikeG]

Food sounds awesome, except I'd have to sleep with the windows open for three days afterwards....

 

[ericbphoto]

You know why Santa is so jolly* (see below)?

Polish generally celebrate with family on Christmas Eve, it’s about the anticipation, patience, prayer for salvation, and then celebrate His coming with friends on Christmas Day.

It has been and typically remains more family oriented and religious, less commercial. When decorating the tree, each person picks an ornament with another, they each make a family wish, and they hang the ornament on the tree together. You hang an ornament one-by-one until you’ve wished/blessed with everyone (wow, then it’s a free for all, and later Mom puts all the ornaments in the right place). Oh, and before all this, Mom would verbally abuse Dad until all the ancient lights were lit and in place**

We had turkey and ham, and the Polish treats: gelatin pigs feet stew drizzled with vinegar, “sfartkie” (boiled red potatoes drizzled with bacon bits and grease), cucumbers in sour cream with onions and vinegar, potato-, cheese-, sauerkraut-, and berry perogies, “kluski” (quick-fried left over perogie dough), kielbasa, “chrustchikie” (bow-tie sugar twists), and I’m sure I’m missing a hundred.

My artistic Uncle Gene would put 2 pounds of butter together and carve it into the Baby Jesus in the Manger (a Lamb with a cross/staff at Easter). Torpedoed twice in the Polish merchant marine, later serving in Polish uniform in the British merchant marine, he learned to love North Atlantic seafood, and Mom always got fresh cod and prepared it special for him. Before eating, after the Prayer, like the ornaments, we’d walk around with bread (like a large wafer Host, earlier blessed by the Bishop) and break bread and eat, pray and pass love and thanks and good wishes to everyone attending individually.

View attachment 53118

“Good old Santa“ (known as Święty Mikołaj) a/k/a called Gwiazdor (gvia-zdoohr, Eng: The Bishop, St. Nicolas) historically visits children on Dec 6th, St. Nicolas Day, but that has been lost out-of-country. He comes during dinner now, and we all gather and open presents the rest of the evening. Around 10:00, in full dress, we’d walk to church singing carols (there are hundreds of Polish carols), gathering friends and momentum before midnight mass.

Christmas morning, more presents were opened, Dad took a little more abuse**, and it was a day of community and celebration. We’d visit, or we’d be visited by, friends and acquaintances all day and night. My friends always liked visiting me and my Polish family and friends because at 14, you were a man, and a shot of Polish vodka was tradition (I’m a little fuzzy on how everything ended Christmas Day).

Polish culture and tradition is akin to Our Country’s best military traditions: God, family and faith, nation and patriotism, honor and chivalry, etc.

What are your traditions, best memories, new family traditions?

My new friends: Wesołych Świąt i szczęśliwego Nowego Roku - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! My prayers and wishes that you and your family and loved ones have peace, happiness, success and good health, and that you share in community and giving, remembering those who serve and those in need.

**Oh, and over the years with my Mom’s “encouragement,” my Dad would drink Cherry Kijafa on the cold Holidays. It’s a sweet Danish cherry wine, like a port or sherry. After two wives, I’ve adopted this tradition too.

* & you know why Santa is so jolly? He knows where all the naughty girls are!!!

View attachment 53119

& stay humble!!!
( the little people like that!!)

Thanks. Very similar to what the Polish side of my Dad's family did. (Other side is German) They were Catholic, so no meat Christmas eve. My Dad's two aunts usually hosted the Christmas eve gathering and feast. Some of the foods you mentioned, also home made pickled herring (which I don't like). Uncle Alphie and Uncle Joe knew where to find mushrooms out in the hills around the coal mines and there would be awesome mushroom soup. And the baked goods. Wow! Egg nog spiked with brandy. Mom and I were just talking about that an hour ago. There's other stuff I don't remember details of. But it was always great family visiting through the Holidays.

 

[Rick W]

also home made pickled herring

OMG, amen, yes!!!! How could you not like it if you like transmission fluid, battery acid and brake cleaner?!?!?

Italian, Irish, Middle East, Africa, French, Etc? If you don’t have the history, what do you do with your family now, what do you want passed on?!?!?

So, what are your traditions with your folks?

Uncle Alphie and Uncle Joe knew where to find mushrooms out in the hills around the coal mines

Yeah, that was a different tradition in the 60s in Arizona and San Francisco....

 

[black_demon69]

tradition is a christmas eve bonfire with my heathen friends .... lol

 

[sgtsandman]

Usually it's spending time with friends and family in multiple locations. My family, her family, Christmas Vigil with the VVA, and maybe a another place or two. Covid and weather has thrown a big, fat monkey wrench in all of that. Trying to make lemon aid where I can.

 

[ericbphoto]

Usually it's spending time with friends and family in multiple locations. My family, her family, Christmas Vigil with the VVA, and maybe a another place or two. Covid and weather has thrown a big, fat monkey wrench in all of that. Trying to make lemon aid where I can.

Hot cocoa is more of a Christmas drink than lemonade.

 

[snoranger]

Hot cocoa is more of a Christmas drink than lemonade.

Our South American friends may feel differently.

 

[sgtsandman]

Our South American friends may feel differently.

I think Sweat Tea is more their thing.

 

[ericbphoto]

I think Sweat Tea is more their thing.

I think that's our Southern North American friends that like the sweet tea.

 

[snoranger]

I think Sweat Tea is more their thing.

I said South America, not the southern United States...
Although, sweet tea may be popular in South America, I don’t know.

 

[sgtsandman]

Misread that. My bad.

 

[Rick W]

I think Sweat Tea is more their thing.

Sweet tea is a southern cornerstone. Un-sweet tea, also known as Yankee tea, not so much...

 

[MikeG]

Avoid relatives. Drink heavily if that's not possible. Or do so anyway, just in case

 

[Ramcharger90]

I mean, Are they really our friends in south america?

And does any nation outside of the United states really matter? I know and think they do not..... we take the best parts of all that "tradition" and leave out the other nonsense.