Tradition

Christmas Eve dinner is one of my favorite events of the year.  Every Christmas Eve my family and I join two other families for a traditional Polish Christmas dinner.  I would be lying if I didn't say that all the traditional Polish food wasn't the primary reason that this is my favorite time of the year.  If I take a minute to stop and really think about it though a whole other reason to love that night comes to mind.  All of the families that come together that night all have one thing in common.  Each and every one of them is an immigrant to Canada.  Every single person at the table has helped one another weather the struggles that immigration presents since we all first immigrated to Athens, Greece when I was still a child.  We have all helped one another survive language barriers, financial problems, and the loneliness that eventually comes when we had to leave our homes in an attempt to make our quality of life better than it was.  These people are my family and my connection to my cultural heritage.  It is for this reason and all of the amazing Polish food that I love the annual Christmas dinner.