Today is the day that the Eastern Orthodox Church in Russia celebrates Christmas. Well, actually they follow the Julien calendar that has Christmas Day on January 7th, but festivities began last night and continue until the 7th.
photo courtesy of ABC News.
Regular readers of my blog know that we celebrate many International Holidays in our household. This stems from my husband, Frank, bringing his family's Polish traditions with him into the marriage. I came from a very American family. Yes, my grandparents were immigrants, but they left all of their traditions in the "old" country and embraced their "new" country, creating their own family traditions.
About 15 years into our marriage, after the kids were grown and gone, we began taking exchange students into our home. While they lived with us, we shared our lives, traditions, and family here in the USA, and they, in turn, shared theirs with us.
Our first "daughter" was Marina, who arrived as a gift from Russia. She fit into our lives beautifully and paved the way for 4 more "children," all of whom we have had loving, lasting relationships.
Marina moved back to the States with her husband and daughter, our Little Miss M, 3 years ago. Little Miss M is now in Kindergarten, and we are happy to announce that Marina and Devin will be giving us a grandson in 2026. Her husband, Devin, is from Mauritius, so we have been learning about their customs and traditions, including Diwali, celebrated each Fall near our Halloween.
Over Thanksgiving, our "son" from Denmark, Dian, and his family were here for a visit. His life partner was excited to take part in a real American holiday.
Our third exchange student, Jessica, has been with us continuously since she first entered our home at 15. She did go back to China during the summers, but finished out her high school years and college with us. She is married to Julien, who immigrated to the USA from France. Our granddaughter, Melody, aka The Angel Face, is 11 years old now. Both Jessica and Julien are naturalized citizens of the USA. We celebrate Lunar New Year as a tribute to Jessica and Melody, and love hearing about Julien's family memories and traditions from France.
Our fourth exchange student is Dian's sister, Zoey, from Denmark. We were thrilled to learn that she is expecting her first child in 2026. We may need to plan a trip to Denmark in the near future. In Denmark, they place their Christmas Trees in the center of the room so everyone can gather and dance around them.
Our final exchange student is Max from Germany. He finished off our experience with a big bang, as Marina started it. He fit into our family like a glove, and we maintain a very close relationship. We last saw Max when he met us in Italy this past fall. We hope to make a trip to Germany for Weihnachtsmarkt and join him and his family in their traditional celebrations.
I had every intention of serving a Traditional Orthodox Christmas Dinner today, but unfortunately, I awoke with a flu bug this Christmas that is refusing to let go. I thought for a moment, this morning, that I had left it behind..... no such luck, but it is getting much better.
Happy Orthodox Christmas to those who celebrate. Happy New Year to all. May 2026 be filled with love and traditions.
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