I've felt stresses lift away as I let go of Christmas (immediate Christmas, that is). Seeing it as the beginning of our celebrations instead of the culmination of a bitter month's disappointments. And then tonight, while researching a bit about Ukrainian Christmas traditions I found that festivities actually begin on Christmas Eve and end on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6th. Perfect for what I'm planning. A friends and family potluck might be in the cards for the ones who aren't tapped out. Some holiday baking.
It may seem random to choose Little Christmas to celebrate this year. But I spent growing up years in Dauphin with forty percent of the population claiming Ukrainian roots. Ukrainian immersion elementary stood among the french immersion, english and christian schools. Ukrainian dance and schoolmates claiming extra days off after winter holidays. I grew up seeing that other celebration from afar. I loved Christmas strongly, fiercely. Laying in a dark room under the tree watching string lights reflecting off dark windows. Mind wandering dreaming wondering. I played carols on the piano starting in November til my mom asked "could you please play something else?" We watched classics and read books and made crafts and immersed in Christmassy cheer, learning songs and dance moves for school concerts.
Funny how we get here... our home lives growing up lives so different. You wonder how you never know everything about a person, their inner selves and experiences that led them there. We reach to relate on other things forgetting we are strangers.
So this year, we will have our own Ukrainian, or Little Christmas, or Women's Christmas. We will not have a good Christmas in 2010. But in 2011, we'll get two Christmasses! Start and end the year with Christmas what could be more magical. Should be fun.
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