Rizdvom Khrystovym!

Today we are celebrating Ukrainian Christmas. It's something that my grandparents did when I was a child, and it's so cool to me that I'm able to carry on that tradition now, and especially since we have Sergei.

I'm making an authentic Ukrainian meal tonight for dinner to celebrate, and I am so grateful for the Ukrainian recipes that my grandmother left behind. I was thumbing through them today, going over the preparation for tonight's meal, and I felt so blessed to have this collection all in her handwriting. It's so special to me. It's a piece of her. I have such fond memories of helping her in the kitchen - mixing up the big bowl of rice and beef for the hollabchu, rolling out dough for pedaha, and braiding the paska.

Tonight we will recognize this holiday with a dinner of borscht, crusty bread, Chicken Kiev, fried potatoes, and yabluchnyk for dessert. We'll light some candles and fill up the goblets with sparkling cider (since we're a dry family here.) :) We also have one small gift for each child.

This is our little family's first year to celebrate the Orthodox Christmas, and I hope that it becomes an annual celebration. Family traditions have a way of stitching together the bonds of a family. They are practiced with the anticipation of being passed through many generations. They often cement together the gaps that the miles and years leave behind. This new year I want to be more intentional about the traditions we celebrate as a family.

Have a blessed weekend!