Home for the Holidays

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I arrived home after spending my final two weeks in Kaunas. It was an interesting experience being in Kaunas for the holiday season, in fact what surprised me the most was how similar it felt to the holidays here. The malls were filled with people, shopping and buying gifts, there was Santa Clause, there were Christmas trees and decorations and people baking Christmas goodies.

One unique tradition that they have is that the celebration and gift giving is traditionally done on Christmas Eve. Much of Christmas Eve is spent baking and making the evening meal, which normally consists of many small dishes, the magic number being twelve. At least twelve dishes are prepared, all of which cannot have meat in them. You are not supposed to eat meat on Christmas Eve or else you will have bad luck for the following year (I am oversimplifying the tradition, I am sure, but this is the essence of it). After you have eaten the twelve dishes you can have meat again. ☺


I arrived home late on the eve of Christmas Eve, and spent Christmas at home with my family.

I plan on being home for the next couple of months, unless it works out for me to visit my Brother in China, in which case I would leave in February. Either way, I am taking a sabbatical from my blog-writing. It has been fun blogging, I hope you have found some of the stories interesting. It has been a great excuse for me to write down my stories, to remember and reflect upon them. So thanks for reading.

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Photos

Christmas on Thunder Mountain
My Dad, His Brother Tom, My Grandparents, me.

Dad
Sporting his Lithuanian Cap

Christmas Morning!
Hannah, mom, and I. Before opening presents.

Skyping with John
We Got to speak with John from China on Christmas Eve!! If you look closely, you will see him on the screen. A family portrait!

HANNAH
Opening her gift from Sigitas, my coach in Lithuania.

Mom
Giving the dogs their gifts (a bone).