Myron had an action-packed first Christmas in North Carolina. With a lot of logistical help from various friends and family members, we traveled to the beautiful far-away town of Beaufort, NC and got to introduce Myron to Em’s family traditions just as we have experienced them all these years.
Myron got many gifts of books and clothing and education fund contributions, but his favorite gift of all was wrapping paper.
We stayed for the first night of vacation in Durham and celebrated an early Christmas with Uncle David and Donna, where we got to see Uncle Pete and Cioci Amanda before they departed for their honeymoon. Myron has been increasingly interested in interacting with other kids, so he had a blast playing with his cousins this visit.
Grandma Nancy made a sock puppet out of Dziadziu’s old sock. The cousins also got into eating Myron’s fingers with it.
He discovered his feet a few weeks ago. Finally he got one in his mouth during a diaper change!
He traveled from place to place like a rock star.
In Beaufort, we celebrated Wigilia, which is a Polish Christmas Eve dinner. Grandma Nancy likes to hand out this explanatory sheet to new visitors. We had four new people this year, including Grandma Sue, so the “most Polish day of the year” sheet made its rounds. The title, at least, can be sung to the tune of “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”. What we do is a variation on these stated customs. I think the meal as practiced hews most closely to what the sheet describes.
The preparation begins the day before Christmas Eve, when we all gather to make pierogis. Here, Myron is sporting his “25% Polish, 100% Adorable” onesie made by his cousin once removed, Beth (not pictured)!
According to family tradition, the youngest person in attendance has to see the first star before the Wigilia festivities begin. The rules on this are loose. For example, if the sky is cloudy, we skip that part. Em took Myron outside for a few seconds, and apparently, that qualified.
The next part of the ceremony involves the breaking of a wafer called oplatek. The eldest family member begins and then everyone in attendance visits everyone else, giving them a piece of the oplatek along with wishes for the coming year. It can be tricky to come up with wishes for folks one doesn’t know very well. For this reason, the host usually explains to any newcomers that the default wish is “health, wealth, and happiness”. I gave Myron a wish of “naps, snacks, and toys”. Myron caught on quickly that everyone was about to give him something to eat, so he warmed up to this activity and started to grab the oplatek out of people’s hands.
Then the meal begins. It is a pescatarian feast of borscht; rye bread; a pickled herring dish called sledzi, which I am told is an acquired taste, even for omnivores; smoked fish; pierogis in three varieties: cabbage, potato and cheese, and mushroom, which is the favorite; large side bowls of boiled potatoes set on the table, with which one can “potato oneself” at any time; and then desert, which this year, consisted of poached pears, lemon bars, chocolate cake, and two intricately presented bûches de Noël. Myron ate many potatoes.
Christmas Day is an all-day oyster roast at family friend Tim’s house. Rebecca made her grandmother’s (or perhaps great grandmother’s?) egg nog from the recipe written in permanent marker on the inside of Tim’s cabinet.
At the oyster roast, we also explored Tim’s bamboo maze which is lined with Christmas lights and sang carols with Jeanne. Myron got some singing practice in the day before at the church service, so he participated in this round as well, babbling in a call-and-response fashion.
After the festivities, we hung around on the coast for a few days.
Em got a cat nap with CJ.
We visited Myron’s great, great (fantastic?) Aunt Rachel and her star-shaped balloon in her new retirement home.
We went to an aquarium with Grandma Sue and saw fish statues wearing santa hats as well as some real sea creatures and a nice walkway along a nature preserve.
Jeanne came over for breakfast, which included helping Myron practice his assisted standing skills and nibbling on his shoulder.
And Aunt Lisa and other Uncle David (another of Myron’s three great Uncles David) hosted us in Durham for another relaxing day before we flew home. Woo Woo came over and made a delicious spaghetti dinner.
Myron is still not crawling, but he is quite adept at pivoting, rolling over, and pushing himself backwards. Sometimes his limited mobility gets him into interesting situations.
Marisa and Stella took us to and from the airport on the Rhode Island end, and Stella asked us about our preferences for hot dogs versus cheeseburgers.
Waving is another fun skill Myron has picked up recently. When we got home, Myron waved to the family photos on the wall.
