Štastné a veselé Vianoce

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...

So, true. This year is the first possibility I have to celebrate a White Christmas and it looks like the weather will not cooperate. I still have my fingers crossed, but it is awfully warm today, just 5 days before Christmas. Almost 40, I believe.

Christmas Spirit

Christmas Spirit is alive and well in Slovakia. While I often felt that the Christmas spirit was overpowered by the spirit of commercialism, here everything is simpler and less commercialized. On all the major streets, the light poles have beautiful Christmas lights in the shapes of stars or shooting stars, hearts or snowflakes. When you are standing on a street corner, you can look all they way down and see a whole row of stars or snowflakes. Since most of the housing is blocks of flats, there are very few other Christmas lights. However, the big Catholic church next to our house has a huge evergreen tree and has it decorated nicely. We can see it out the bedroom window and every time we walk home from school.

Christmas Spirit

Christmas Markets

If you have not been to Europe, you should definitely come in December. While you may have to wear six layers, a scarf, a hat and gloves, it is all worth it. Most major cities have a Christmas market. Words can really not do a Christmas market justice, but I will try. Christmas markets are little booths/kiosks set up in a square. Each booth sells either food or small gift items. The smell of sausages and pork greet you as you enter the square. Of course, you head straight to one of the booths and get a pork sandwich or a sausage and bread and a cup of mulled wine, which warms you from the inside out. Next, while balancing your plate and holding carefully onto your plastic cup, you squeeze your way through the crowds to one of the tables. The tables are more like very tall benches that you stand at. So, if you can find one with a few inches... er, centimeters of space and set your plate down, you can enjoy the wonderful food. Each market has a stage set up with either live or recorded Christmas music. After you have finished your meal, it is time to venture out into the crowds to do some shopping. Each booth has a variety of items, ranging from homemade paper and candles, to hand crafted wooden spoons and dolls, to hand stitched textiles and knitted scarves. Although it is crowded, there is no pressure to buy and no one will pester you about to try to make a sale. After you have made your purchases you must make a stop at one of the booths selling sweets and enjoy a fresh pastry.

Christmas Markets

Christmas House

On Thursday, our school had their Christmas House. Christmas House is a major production that the entire school (1st grade through high schoolers) puts on. The theme this year was Narnia (appropriately enough). There were four parts each with a different topic, but since it was all in Slovak, I didn't quite get what the four parts were. It was narrated by CS Lewis (a student from the high school). There was singing, dramas, musical instruments, and dances. The English department got involved and got our students to sing in English. My fourth graders sang "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer," my third graders sang "Jingle Bells," my second graders sang "Away in a Manger," and the first graders closed with "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." My fifth graders illustrated "The Night Before Christmas" and I put all their pictures into a Power Point presentation. They then did a dramatic reading of it as the Power Point played. It was amazing to see. It is a difficult poem to read, even as an English speaker, and they did a great job. I was most impressed with the entire show as it reminded me more of a Broadway performance than a school performance.

Christmas House

Christmas Eve

We got together with the D'Ettorre family (the American family with ESI living). They came to our flat and we made Texas chili, cornbread and baked potatoes. Not very Christmasy, but so yummy. (We all miss spicy food the most.) Then we watched "Over the Hedge," and had birthday cake for Jesus. We enjoyed just hanging out, sharing Christmas memories and laughing. Although we weren't with our families, it was a perfect substitute.

Vesele Vianoce!

Today was Christmas day! And it was wonderful. Not white, but very nice. (It has taken me a few days to write this!) We woke up around 8 and lazily got cups of coffee and tea. We decided to have blueberry muffins (made by Becky) only we ran into problems when we remembered that we had lent out our muffin tins. Oh, well. We are getting used to improvising here, so we just poured the batter into a pie tin and made one big (very yummy!) muffin. While the muffin was cooking, we opened presents. We all had packages from home and gifts for each other. It was fun to get gifts from Hungary and Slovakia and also from the US. Karin's family sent lots of food and several small gifts for Becky and I. My biggest present from my parents will not be here until March. They bought Hannah a plane ticket to come see me! Hip, hip, hooray! After presents, we had breakfast and then got ready for our day. Karin went to a friends house for lunch and Becky and I went to Kristina's house. Kristina is a teacher at my school. Her family is wonderful. She lives with her parents, her grandmother, her sister and one of her brothers. They made the traditional cabbage soup, potato salad, turkey and pork. It was delicious. After lunch, we gathered around the piano and sang Christmas carols while Kristina's mom played. Then, we got out a game and played. This was fun, even though I did not understand everything going on. Kristina's whole family speaks some English - her mom, sister and brother fluently, her dad fairly well and her Grandma learned when she was a young girl, so can understand more than she can speak. Playing games with her family reminded me of being home and playing games with my family.

Once again let me wish you a Vesele Vianoce (Merry Christmas) a Štastné Novy Rok (and a Happy New Year)!