fasting...

Hi, CV.
My family is doing pretty well. We have a 14 month old daughter (our first child) for whom this is her first interactive Christmas. She loves the candles and the lights.

At our church, I am helping to organize a ladie's retreat -- a paryerful day of baking. When we break for lunch, we're going to have a Holy Supper demonstration about how to set the table, the meaning of it all, and traditional dishes in the Slavic tradition. We are of the Byzantine Ruthenien Rite. :)

This time of the year can be a bit of a challenge for us. My household is Byzantine, but my folks are not. We celebrate Christmas with them and they give gifts and such on the 25th while it is our tradition to exchange gifts on St. Nicholas' feast day. We would rather have the emphasis on the Incarantion rather than gift giving. As time progresses and our household grows, it will be interesteing ot see how we make our traditions work along my family events.