Opłatki Tradition
My earliest memories of Christmas Eve & Christmas Day were spent around this table in Stamford, CT. I'm on the right (wearing suspenders) being held by my Aunt Mary. Christmas Eve was a fast day prior to a change in Canon Law in 1983 and my devout Grandmother (seated center) took it to extremes. There was no bread, dairy and certainly no meat. Dinner was fish and beet soup. At the time I liked neither so it went out with my cousins to fill up on ice cream sodas at a nearby drug store lunch counter. My Grandmother would recite prayers in Polish before the meal and even though I didn't understand, I would catch our names being mentioned. She prayed for all of us and those who had pass. As a kid I would try to make my cousin laugh during the prayer which in retrospect was not very respectful. I guess I needed the prayer most of all. My favorite tradition from this meal is one we have continued into the present day. Sharing Opłatk ( Christmas wafer ) with friends and fam...
