In my native country people
have two major holidays in a year.
They are most popular: Christmas Day and New Year. Christmas
is on
December 25th. The Eastern Orthodox celebrate Christmas on January
7th.
 In Russia, we celebrate New Year's from night of December 31st
to January
1st. All night!! New Year is a family holiday.
Before the New Year begins, families are shopping and cleaning
their
houses. Then they are putting a tree in the room, and decorating
it
with star, toys, colorful lights, garlands, candies, etc.
Relatives and friends come to the house the evening of December
31st.
We like this holiday. New Year brings us together.
The menu for the special supper includes: "olives" salad,
turkey with
stuffing or goose with apples and sauerkraut cabbage, fish, cheese,
cakes, fruit and candy. At 12 o'clock midnight we drink champagne
and
celebrate each guest with good wishes: good health, happiness,
good
luck, and all their dreams come true.
Each guest gets a present. We remember other holidays. We talk
about
the lucky life of last year and our dreams, purposes in a new
year. We
sing traditional songs, we dance, we watch special program on
TV. Some
people go outside and walk along the streets. All around is very
beautiful. Streets, squares, stores, houses, street lamps are
decorated
with garlands. On the squares stand big trees. Grandfather Frost
gives
presents to children. We see fireworks.
My family, my friends and I love to celebrate Christmas and
New Year in
our new country in the United States of America.
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