Merry Christmas--again

Today is Christmas in the Ukraine. "But I thought you already wished us a Merry Christmas?" That's right, I did. But I wished you a Merry Christmas based on the date accepted by the West. Here the date is set by the Orthodox calendar and that is today. So Merry Christmas again.

This Christmas is a little easier to deal with though. Santa doesn't come and that makes today a bit cheaper for parents. Here Santa comes on New Years and that is when the bigger celebrations occur. The reason for this of course is that Christmas was not acceptable under the Bolsheviks, for obvious reasons, so all that celebration was transferred to a secular holiday--New Years.

By the way, Santa Claus here isn't Santa Claus. He is Det Moroz or Grandfather Frost and he usually dresses in blue. He has a sidekick that comes along with him and it's a she. Her name is Snegurochka, from the word "sneg" for snow. She is the granddaughter of Grandfather Frost and she is often seen with him. There is a certain logic to that.

So, break out the holly and the ivy again, don't dispose of that tree and see if you can't find another turkey for the feast. We are still in Christmas.