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14 Tevet/31 December, 2009
Dec. 31st, 2009 11:00 pmNew Year’s Eve – the most important Russian holiday with decoration and feasting and lots of fun. When I was little we would go to my Aunt Vera’s house and have a big table and stay up late. Well, Sasha and I would go play in a different room while adults talked after a while. Some years we would dress in costumes. Uncle Tolya always took official photographs. It was always very festive and Babushka Tanya and Aunt Vera and Mama would bake delicious cakes too. I would go to sleep at my Aunt’s house while my parents walked home after new year arrived. My presents would be under my aunt’s tree in the morning of New Year (Grandpa Frost always knew where I was) and Sasha and I would get up early to open them and then play with them while adults still slept. Very fond memories of the season.
The morning started slow, I slept in because I’m tired this week with palpitation and generally sleep and nap more. I had a late breakfast and then set up Skype for my parents to call gazillion relatives in Belarus and Russia. At one point Mama took my laptop with its camera all over the house to show it to distant relatives with live half way across the globe. Modern technology is sometimes very awesome. I spent the rest of the morning getting all holiday ready by washing my hair, painting my toenails red and generally acting like a girl. Then I read a bit and ended up taking an accidental nap – which was very nice.
Bear came over about four in the afternoon. New Year’s is one of the only times he stays over at my house, although this year he stayed over more. He’s been spending New Year’s with us for a decade now. I remember I called his house on the first New Year I knew him to wish him Happy New Year and he didn’t realize it was new year already because he was watching “Godzilla.” Because the New Year is such a big deal to me I didn’t understand how someone couldn’t care. I started inviting him to my house after that and intruded him to proper was to celebrate starting with a feast.
Before we eat, we dress up in appropriate color (relative to Chinese animal and color of the upcoming year, sort of lately developed Russian tradition) and we take photographs in front of the decorated tree. Since next year is the year of the tiger, we all (except Papa) wore something stripy. And then took lots of pictures. I should put together one picture from every year to watch myself getting older. After the pictures we feast with fancy plates and cutlery and wine glasses. Since we don’t really drink alcohol, there is Fanta and Sprite serves as out champagne. The is always so much food, from salads to meat and potatoes with dried apricots. By the time we got to the meat, we were stuffed. Too much food, all delicious. My favorite part is that is all we eat for the next few days, because there is just so much of it.
Then Bear and I started watching “Aliens” in the cold room on the first floor armed with blankets. By 11:30 we came upstairs to the main TV to watch a concert on TV and then Times Square and all festivities there – getting into a proper New Year spirit.
And then with Sprite (and meat for future Tiger year) we welcomed the new year and a new decade too. And there was rejoicing.
Things I didn’t love in 2009 will stay in that year and will remain forgotten.
Things I loved in 2009 in no particular order: Bear, Alla Pugacheva concert in Atlantic city, beach fair in August, rollerblading in the summer, my new shiny pink laptop, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other festivities, trips to Aruba, Vermont and Kentucky, Labor Day weekend anniversary fun, my birthday party, unlimited sushi with the girls (and our significant others), Yeva’s b-day party, all girl gatherings, Colbert Report, teaching, January conference, “Dollhouse” “True Blood” “House” "Battlestar Galactica" and other tv shows, “Star Trek” and seeing “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” in the movie theatre twice, three operas and “Lion King,” finally learning Hebrew alphabet for real, finishing big cross-stitch of a covered bridge, Passover Seder celebration, good books, music, reading the Torah, getting to New Year’s eve.
The morning started slow, I slept in because I’m tired this week with palpitation and generally sleep and nap more. I had a late breakfast and then set up Skype for my parents to call gazillion relatives in Belarus and Russia. At one point Mama took my laptop with its camera all over the house to show it to distant relatives with live half way across the globe. Modern technology is sometimes very awesome. I spent the rest of the morning getting all holiday ready by washing my hair, painting my toenails red and generally acting like a girl. Then I read a bit and ended up taking an accidental nap – which was very nice.
Bear came over about four in the afternoon. New Year’s is one of the only times he stays over at my house, although this year he stayed over more. He’s been spending New Year’s with us for a decade now. I remember I called his house on the first New Year I knew him to wish him Happy New Year and he didn’t realize it was new year already because he was watching “Godzilla.” Because the New Year is such a big deal to me I didn’t understand how someone couldn’t care. I started inviting him to my house after that and intruded him to proper was to celebrate starting with a feast.
Before we eat, we dress up in appropriate color (relative to Chinese animal and color of the upcoming year, sort of lately developed Russian tradition) and we take photographs in front of the decorated tree. Since next year is the year of the tiger, we all (except Papa) wore something stripy. And then took lots of pictures. I should put together one picture from every year to watch myself getting older. After the pictures we feast with fancy plates and cutlery and wine glasses. Since we don’t really drink alcohol, there is Fanta and Sprite serves as out champagne. The is always so much food, from salads to meat and potatoes with dried apricots. By the time we got to the meat, we were stuffed. Too much food, all delicious. My favorite part is that is all we eat for the next few days, because there is just so much of it.
Then Bear and I started watching “Aliens” in the cold room on the first floor armed with blankets. By 11:30 we came upstairs to the main TV to watch a concert on TV and then Times Square and all festivities there – getting into a proper New Year spirit.
And then with Sprite (and meat for future Tiger year) we welcomed the new year and a new decade too. And there was rejoicing.
Things I didn’t love in 2009 will stay in that year and will remain forgotten.
Things I loved in 2009 in no particular order: Bear, Alla Pugacheva concert in Atlantic city, beach fair in August, rollerblading in the summer, my new shiny pink laptop, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other festivities, trips to Aruba, Vermont and Kentucky, Labor Day weekend anniversary fun, my birthday party, unlimited sushi with the girls (and our significant others), Yeva’s b-day party, all girl gatherings, Colbert Report, teaching, January conference, “Dollhouse” “True Blood” “House” "Battlestar Galactica" and other tv shows, “Star Trek” and seeing “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” in the movie theatre twice, three operas and “Lion King,” finally learning Hebrew alphabet for real, finishing big cross-stitch of a covered bridge, Passover Seder celebration, good books, music, reading the Torah, getting to New Year’s eve.
