oplatek
Merry Christmas! I am writing this early on Christmas Day morning before everyone else wakes up. The Pielichatys began their Christmas yesterday because we are part Polish and part German. A tradition we had passed on to us on my husband’s side is the special Christmas Eve meal. It begins by each member of the family breaking off a piece of oplatek or wafer. Oplatek is similar to communion wafers but made especially for Christmas and has a Nativity scene embossed upon it. We then take our pieces of oplatek and share them with each member of the family and wish each other a Merry Christmas and good health. After that we have a condensed version of German-Polish feast. True meals have 12 courses but we keep it simple with borscht (beetroot) soup to start with followed by fish fried in breadcrumbs with vegetables and then coffee and stollen or mince pies.
Today will be more traditional English. Let the tearing of wrapping paper commence!