If you didn't already know, I'm half Polish, so we tend to celebrate Christmas the Polish way. Not that it is super different from other cultures, be it that there is Santa Claus and gifts, etc., but there are some little differences that I figured I would talk about.
First things first, Christmas Eve is when we celebrate Christmas. On December 24th, we have our Christmas dinner consisting of cabbage rolls, mushroom soup, fried fish (because you aren't allowed to eat meat on Christmas), mashed potatoes, beets, and polish salad (SAŁATKA JARZYNOWA). My grandma and mom tend to do most of the cooking, and honestly, thank goodness they do because it SLAPS every year. A day or two before Christmas Eve, we make the salad together by boiling and chopping up carrots, potatoes, eggs, etc., and adding green peas, pickles, and apples with mayonnaise. I swear it sounds weird, but it is honestly amazing. Our dessert is usually Christmas cookies (obviously) and compote, a blend of fruits (prunes, plums, apples) with sugar, all boiled together.
Another exciting thing about our family/cultural tradition is that we have Christmas dinner and open presents on Christmas Eve. After dinner, we typically wait a couple of hours and then open presents. Unlike most North American families that do gifts on the morning of Christmas Day, Polish tradition says Christmas Day is for doing nothing. We sit there and watch TV, learn how to use our gifts, and play board/card games with the family.
Another fascinating tradition is sharing Oplatek. This thin wafer made from flour is a Polish Catholic tradition. Even though I am not Polish Catholic, my grandma, that lives with us, is, so we celebrate for her. This wafer is stamped with a Christmas scene, and every family member is given one to share with the others as they share a prayer and Christmas hug.
There are also some more North American traditions we keep going, like advent calendars and Elf on the Shelf, but these are the main ones each year. Share some of your favourite Christmas and holiday traditions in the comments.
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