(essay)

One of the most heartwarming family holidays in Ukraine is Christmas. This is a fabulous time.

My family and I usually gather at home near the Christmas tree left over from the New Year. Mom invites all the grandparents, and they, in turn, gladly agree and come to us from their villages.

We start preparing for Christmas in the morning. Mom prepares a delicious kutia with raisins, salads; Grandma’s favorite Kyiv-style cutlets and 8 more dishes. Dad, my younger brother and I usually clean the apartment, go to the store, hang little angels around the apartment, cheer up my mother, in which something goes wrong with cooking, etc…

Dinner… We meet guests, sit at the table, eat kutia, meat dishes and salads. The whole family remembers the dead relatives; we drink tea with sweets. The holiday delights with its comfort, peace and hopes for a better future.

Then my brother and his friends go to sing carols. They come to acquaintances, usually his classmates, my classmates, friends from school and others. The boys study a few carols in advance and sing them cheerfully. For this they are given sweets and cookies, cakes and money. After ‘singing the whole bags,’ the boys return to their homes.

When my brother comes home, all start laughing … it’s just a must to see. Having hard kissed and frozen cheeks, he has a happy face, on which it is written “Wow! I got money… my money! Now I’ll pull out of my bag all gifts and start counting… I hope there is a lot.”