My dad’s side of the family is Polish (my grandma is 100%), and when I was growing up, every year on Christmas Eve we would gather for the traditional Polish celebration of Wigilia. The evening begins with the sharing of opłatek, which is a thin wafer much like Catholics use for communion. You go to every person individually, each of you breaks off and eats a piece of the other’s wafer, and you wish each other good luck in the new year. After that the meal begins, with courses of borscht (served on top of mashed potatoes with onions), sauerkraut stewed with short ribs, challah bread, pierogi with sour cream, and a whole slew of desserts. My dad’s family lives in Dallas, so when I was young, we would drive up there for Christmas Eve, then drive home in the middle of the night so we could open presents and whatnot on Christmas morning. But after I got married and had kids, that hectic schedule was off the table. Until this year, I hadn’t been with my dad’s family for Wigilia for probably 15 years.
Well, most of y’all know that I got remarried this summer, and (under our respective custody arrangements) neither my wife nor I had our kids for Christmas this year. So we drove up to Dallas. It was the first time I’ve been able to celebrate Polish Christmas Eve with my dad, my grandma, and my uncles, aunts, and cousins in ages. So needless to say, this was a great Christmas.
P.S. – Someone brought a box of Polish chocolate covered cherries, and they were extremely alcoholic. Like… they tasted like chocolate, cherries, and kerosene. I’m telling y’all, it must have been pure rubbing alcohol. Definitely cleared my sinuses.
