Holidays in Ukrain vs America

Christmas is January 7^th in Ukraine. We have Father Christmas. When I was at the baby orphanage we set up a Christmas tree on Christmas day and watched The Lion King movie. We ate Top Raman – and that was special because we normally never had that. We also had some candy.

When I was eight and in the older orphanage, we went to see a Christmas play during Christmas time and we were given boxes of candy. The teachers took them from us to give them to us later but we didn’t obey so we never got our boxes of candy.
We also went caroling and people gave us money but the teachers kept it.

On Christmas Eve we got together in the TV room and had fruit. We had apples grapes and oranges. Then we watched a movie called Leprechaun. It was rated R and pretty scary. In the morning we woke up and there was candy under our pillows.

I only had one Christmas in the orphanage when I was eight. The other Christmas’s I went to my brother Ivan’s house.

In Ukraine for Easter we had Paska boiled eggs and then my brother Ivan Ukraine came and me colored Easter eggs and a Paska of my own.
We do not have Halloween and I never knew about Halloween until I came to America. I think it’s dumb we don’t trick or treat in Ukraine and it made me mad.

When I had my birthday in the orphanage they did nothing. Sometimes my brother would take me out for my birthday.

In America we set up our tree after Thanksgiving. We draw names with my siblings and my cousins and we buy presents for them.

My mom helps us find presents for each other.

One night during December we watch The Christmas Story and eat Chinese food.

On Christmas Eve make sugar cookies for Santa, eat a big dinner and we do a play about Jesus.

We also open our cousin presents and we get new PJ’s from mom and dad.

On Christmas Day we wake up in the morning and open presents.  We have a scavenger hunt to find our big present and we also try to find our stockings.

We have mini quiche and sticky buns for breakfast and then take pictures of all of our presents.

Then we go visit our grandma and get presents from her and grandpa.  
On our birthdays we go and eat out sometimes and then our mom makes us wait to open our presents. That’s fine but is so tempting and you just want to ask your mom if you can open just one and she doesn't let us because she wants it to be a surprise.

I am grateful that my brother Ivan took time and went to the orphanage and took me to his house to celebrate Christmas and eat dinner.

I am grateful that my mom plans all the awesome scavenger hunts and gives us lovely presents. We give her presents too.