Russian Christmas

[NDOC]

I'm in serious holiday fatigue.  Between our Christmas, New Year's, our anniversary, her birthday, her mother's birthday, her brother's birthday, Valentine's, and International Women's Day all crammed into a little over two months, I'm experiencing serious seasonally-adjusted emotional insensitivity.  The local orthodox church has a two day Russian Christmas session scheduled for this weekend and I'm all out of seasonal cheer at the moment.  I need someone to tell a good Christmas story or two to get me through this or I might have another serious lapse in judgement, say the wrong thing, and be sleeping in the garage next week.

Best hoilday story I have was watching my wife's jaw drop on Christmas morning.  She had left a couple of custard pies out on the counter to cool while we were exchanging gifts and she caught sight of the cat sitting in one of the pies and neatly eating out of the other one.  My wife nearly tackled my mother before she could see the event as I grabbed the cat and the pies and headed for the garage.  Until a few minutes later, I had no knowledge of how great an artist my wife is.  Some artists work in inks, others oils, my wife paints a picture with profanity in two languages.  Me (I still don't know what I did to deserve a dressing down) and the cat got a scolding that would make a Greek sailor blush.  That I was laughing my butt off through the whole lecture did not make it any better.  It was almost better than my wife (on a bet) getting loaded and then going midnight figure skating (think landing toe loops and death spirals on a vodka i.v. drip), now that was funny!

[andrewfi]

Yeah! Christmas is tomorrow!:dude: Best story is two Christmasses!:D

Only a minority (and decreasing) of Russians celebrate Christmas on the 25th December!

[Voyageur]

NDOC, I laughed at your expression about your wife's artistry in  colorful language.  I can really relate to this characterisitic  also.

I do not know if this is a holiday style story, but it made me  laugh.  We were watching the Russian channel (maybe RTV) and an  advertisement comes on.  It is a man wearing PeeWee Herman suit,  shilling for Russian dairy products, like Kefir. Evidently, he was from  some former Soviet Union satellite country, like Albania or Georgia (I  could not notice anything).

My wife said "I have no any desire to buy no any Russian products from this #$#@
 "FSU" a$$h%le.   I do not know why it is so funny, but I have been laughing about it for days.

[al-c]

I was wondering, for my own future reference, has any man here with a Russian wife ran into a problem because January 7 is an ordinary day here?  This year it falls on a Saturday, but what about the years it falls on a workday?  How does she feel about having to go to work and live an ordinary day on her Christmas?  How many RW were able to Westernize their Christmas and accept that it now happens on December 25?

 

 

[LatinSwede]

Hmm, maybe when my soon to be wife is here, we'll skip the American Christmas and have the Russian one instead.  While everybody is recovering from the Holiday hangover's, our fun will just begin.  Just imagine not having to muscle our way through crowds.  Everybody will be at working or at home, and we'll have our own private Holiday.  Actually, I kind of skipped Christmas anyway.  I volunteered to work Christmas day (because I get double Holiday pay), and stopped by my parents house for a nice dinner.  I sent my finace's family a nice big fruit basket, and Chocolates.  The nephew and niece prefered the latter.

[Leslie]

Merry Christmas !

If you are married to an FSU woman then Christmas comes TWICE a year

PS al-c

Comments like this prove you are single !

"How many RW were able to Westernize their Christmas and accept that it now happens on December 25?"

The answer is none


 

[TigerPaws]

[color="blue"][size="4"] Because my lady was born and raised in [/size][/color][color="#0000ff"][size="4"]Tajikistan to Russian parents she has more or less adopted December 25th simply because it is easier to deal with, also she was raised in a Muslim country and is pretty much [/size][/color][color="#0000ff"][size="4"]agnostic to religious beliefs.
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[START2]

We celebrated both but the 25th was the bigger of the two. New Years was huge for us with more gifts and the family over for duck and Ukr. salads and treats. They're still talking about it.  The 7th was ok with a few gifts exchanged at my sisters but I believe it's more solemn. When we got home tonight I asked about if it was time to take down the CHRISTMAS tree but she wants to wait till after the old New Year which is 14 january. That's cool. I like the tree and lights.

[KenC]

I don't know about anyone else, but it is New Years eve (12/31) that is the big day for my wife.  Christmas eve (12/24) come in a distant second with "Old" Christmas (1/7) an even more distant third.  "Old" New Years (1/14) is over shadowed around these parts due to it also being my wife's birthday.

Which brings up a question for you guys.  Does your wife put an unreasonable amount of importance on their birthdays?  I don't want to sound like a scooge or anything, but it seems that birthdays and the related celebration is a much bigger deal to RW than Americans.  What is your take on this?

KenC

[Admin]

I don't know about anyone else, but it is New Years eve (12/31) that is the big day for my wife. Christmas eve (12/24) come in a distant second with "Old" Christmas (1/7) an even more distant third. "Old" New Years (1/14) is over shadowed around these parts due to it also being my wife's birthday.

Which brings up a question for you guys. Does your wife put an unreasonable amount of importance on their birthdays? I don't want to sound like a scooge or anything, but it seems that birthdays and the related celebration is a much bigger deal to RW than Americans. What is your take on this?

KenC

No doubt about what is THE biggest day of the year on her calendar. Birthdays, in general, are vastly more important to RW than they are to us in America. My wife remembers the birthday of EVERY important person in our lives. She has gathered birthdays for all our family members - and for close friends. Friends I have known for 30 years - and never before recognized their birthdays (because I didn't pay attention), are now receiving notes and cards and emails from me. They think I've gone 'soft' or something.

- Dan

[TigerPaws]

[color="blue"][size="4"]KenC,

 I am not sure about the birthday issue as I have generally made a pretty big deal about it, holding a party and all the past 4 years. This year will be much different as we are living on the boat. I guess I will take my cue from how she handles my birthday which is a couple of weeks before hers.
 Life for us is very different now, so a lot of things which used to seem important no longer have any meaning. We do not collect "things" because we do not have the room for them, our wardrobe is pretty simple now (shorts, swim suits, sandals and T-Shirts) so no more fancy clothing.
 I have been thinking about surprising her with tickets back to Russia as it has been some time sense she has been back but that is about all I can think of right now.
 For my wife [/size][/color][color="blue"][size="4"]New Years [/size][/color][color="blue"][size="4"]was a much more important holiday then Christmas.


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[antihack2005]

Yes, for my girl-firnd exactly the same story: New Year's eve is more important than X-mas Eve. This is likely because of ateist culture they had in Russia in communizm times...

The March 8th and Valentoine's are equally popular though ... the Valentine's got very pouplar in the recent few years she said.

Roger

[antihack2005]

Here is the list of popular Russian holidays:
http://www.russianflora.com/Russian_Holidays.shtml
I beleive the same list works for Ukraine.... with some minor differences.

Roger

[dwfunk]

[size="3"][/size][size="2"]Which brings up a question for you guys.  Does  your wife put an unreasonable amount of importance on their  birthdays?  I don't want to sound like a scooge or anything, but  it seems that birthdays and the related celebration is a much bigger  deal to RW than Americans.  What is your take on this?[/size]

Forget her birthday and you WILL be sleeping in the garage, and most  likely not yours.  It is a VERY big deal to them. 

Somebody somewhere told about forgetting his new wife's birthday and at  the last minute grabbed 4 yellow roses and presented them to her. 

I think he now thoroughly understands EVEN number stems are for dead  people, funerals, grave sites, etc.  and yellow pretty much means you  don't like her and want her to go away.

We had been corresponding 5 months and had a trip planned when Natalia  had her birthday.  I wasn't sure what to do or get her, being so far  away, so sent an arrangement of roses, some chocolates, a small stuffed  bear.  It was a hit!  She told me later she honestly didn't expect me,  an American to do anything much yet, and I totally surprised her.  Then  while I was there, we celebrated my birthday.  I have never received so  much attention, and so many small gifts as she gave me that day.  So,  yup!!!  Birthdays are a VERY BIG DEAL. 


-david