As a young boy—waking up at first light on Christmas Day before everyone else in the family to check out what gifts were under the tree for me!  I especially remember a battery powered, remote control tractor-trailer truck about three feet long that I could drive all over the house.

As an older boy—enjoying the special foods for Holy Supper (In the Slav tradition, Holy Supper is a special family meal on Christmas Eve with food prepared only once a year.) and taking a short nap so I could stay up late and be an altar server at Midnight Liturgy at church.

As a young teen—helping Dad put together the Easy Bake Oven for my sisters; Dad was never that good at following instructions, written down or from Mom!

As an older teen—going to Grandma’s house on Christmas Eve with my Dad after we had our Holy Supper at home to share a bowl of mushroom/sauerkraut soup and some pirohi and bolbaki with her and sing Christmas Carols.

As a young adult—always traveling home to Pittsburgh, no matter where in the world I was living, to be there for Holy Supper with my parents and help prepare the special foods.

As a middle-aged adult—always traveling home to Pittsburgh, no matter where in the world I was living, to be there for Holy Supper with my parents and prepare all the special foods.

As an older adult—always traveling home to Pittsburgh, no matter where in the world I was living, to be there for Holy Supper with my parents and prepare all the special foods.

In case you haven’t noticed, I LOVE Holy Supper on Christmas Eve, and haven’t missed spending it with my parents since I was born—over 50 years now. So what are your favorite memories of long past or recent Christmas celebrations?