Christmas Eve or Wigilia in Polish is always done at my parent’s home. Until my grandmother w as forced to give up her home due to ill health and then finally her passing last year, Wigilia was always done at her home.
I have very fond memories of Christmas Eve. As kids we hurridly drove to grandma’s house. Patiently waited until the traditional dinner of mushroom soup, fish and pierogies was served. We still had to wait until the grown-ups had their coffee and dessert and waited some more until the remnants of dinner had been cleaned up. There were times when I think our parents just wanted to maintain the illusion of waiting because they knew that once the gifts were opened the fun, for them would be gone. I know this as my children grow older and the lure of Santa Clause and Christmas presents doesn’t hold the same allure at 16 and 19 as it did when they were 5 and 8.
My wife and I vow to continue the tradition of Wigilia as we find these days and times difficult to comprehend where people connect via the Internet and email as opposed to face-to-face. I hope you enjoy some of the photos that describe for me what family means. I know that most of them are “food” related but that’s what we find important. For a group of people who struggled through the Great Depression and fought for every meal, we find gathering around a table full of food to be very important.
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