What is your favorite holiday tradition?
My favorite holiday tradition is our Christmas Eve dinner. We do it in the Eastern European style which comes from my Mom's side. We wash our hands with coins, going youngest to oldest, which is supposed to bring good fortune for the next year. Then my Grandfather would bless everyone's forehead with honey (kinda weird to have a sticky forehead for the rest of the, night, but can't argue with tradition). We then eat the traditional pierogies, noodles, and fried fish. No meat on Christmas Eve. It's really unique and cool to harken back to one's roots. Here is a picture of the entire family on Christmas Eve in 2019 before the dinner.
What are you grateful your parents did around the holidays?
I'm grateful my parents always put a big emphasis on family and especially decorating the Christmas tree at our house and my cousins’ house as a way to ring in the Christmas season and hang out before the craziness of the official holiday kicks in.
What do you want this season to be about?
A retum to normalcy. Last year many families curtailed their holiday or skipped them altogether. Now, provided people are being safe, it will be a great return to all the traditions that people love. And it's important to not take any of those things for granted.
