![]() Since both my parents were born and raised in Poland, our family always celebrated Christmas Eve with Wigilia, the Vigil Supper. After sharing the wafer (opłatek) we'd sit down to eat a meal of mushroom soup, fish and pierogi. When the supper dishes were cleared away, everybody gathered around the Christmas tree and led by my mother, we sang Dzisiaj w Bethlejem (In David's City) Lulaj Się Jezuniu (Slumber on Jesus))and other Polish Christmas carols. What I remember best about this special night is not the dolls or candy or games that were under the tree. What I remember best is our evening visitor who came with regularity every year until time and circumstances intruded. When we finished singing the carols, my mother would always turn to my oldest brother and say, "Michael, call Johnny. Ask him if he'll come over." Johnny was my brother's friend, someone he went to school with and played with during summer vacation. He was over to the house frequently and was a nice Polish American boy whose grandmother had crossed the ocean as a young girl to take up life in America. Obedient to her request, my brother would make the phone call and, like clockwork, year after year, Johnny would leave the circle of his own family to walk along the railroad tracks, trudging through snow drifts, to be our Christmas Eve guest. My mother, always so pleased to see him, would invite him in and give him a jigger of desert wine. Every year it was the same. Every year she would tell us and Johnny, that his visit was special - a male visitor on the night of Christmas Eve brought health and happiness to those who lived within. She believed it, and after a while, so did we, and we looked forward to Johnny's Christmas Eve visit as much as my mother. The year Johnny was serving in Vietnam, we had no one to call and our yearly tradition was broken. Up until then I hadn't realized how much his visit meant to me. That Christmas Eve, I realized that the material gifts we receive on this night are quickly forgotten, long gone from memory before the next year rolls around. What's cherished and remembered is what people did and said on this special night. That's what stays in your mind and heart forever. Merry Christmas. Wesołych Świąt Bożego Narodzenia. **The photo is a postcard sent to my mother from her brother in Poland in 1957.
8 Comments
Ellie Jordan
12/23/2016 12:00:25 am
Your stories are heartwarming. I like to read of the traditions you experienced and savor.
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Johnny Zientowski
12/24/2016 10:50:04 am
Hi Sophie, After a long absence, here am I again showing up on Christmas Eve! This time I didn't have to walk down the snowy railroad tracks on a cold Christmas Eve night. Many things have happened during the intervening decades but one thing I will always remember and cherish is the warm and generous hospitality your remarkable parents always extended to me! I have many fond memories of times spent in your childhood home!
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John Zientowski
12/26/2016 11:08:18 am
Johnny Z! Were you able to see my reply on Facebook and Messenger? I am still new to some aspects of social media but I want you to know the kind of joy you gave me on Christmas Eve. Best Christmas present I've received in a very long time. Sophie
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CYNTHIA ZAGORSKI JURCZAK
12/26/2016 05:55:10 pm
Oh my goodness, I had no idea it was you she was talking about !! I often think of my old neighborhood and what has gone on with the families ! Can you give me any info on MaryAnn ? May god bless you and family !
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Mary Skinner
12/24/2016 12:27:03 pm
Sophie, thank you for this beautiful story. What precious memories you have and how you reminded me of some of my own.
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Mary Skinner
12/26/2016 11:16:28 am
Hi Mary! So wonderful to hear from you! Thank you for the kind words. I have thought of you often especially when I see Irena Sendler stories on Facebook. You have placed this Polish woman on the history charts/stories of Poland. Few knew about her until you brought her to life for us. Thank you!
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One of the biggest moments in my life was being able to sign for my very own library card. When I'm not reading, researching and writing I'm riding my bike, sewing or gardening. I love flea markets, folk art, and traveling to Poland.
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