Getting ready for Christmas. Przygotowania świąteczne.

No recipe today. No advice. No guide. We’re officially in the panic preparation mode.

Dziś bez przepisu. Bez porad. Bez przewodnika. Oficjalnie wkroczyliśmy w tryb panicznych przygotowań.

I have very vague idea who celebrates Christmas in the UK, or in what way you do. In Poland it begins with a Christmas Eve supper, and then continues for two more days. Back in Poland, everyone in my family (my Parents, my Sisters and me with families) would share some of the preparations, then Mom would do everything till she sits at the table in the Evening of December the 24th. We focus on taking over as much of her work as possible so that she doesn’t overheat, and on decreasing the destructive force of the grandchildren. Then before we eat, we break a special flat bread (sort of) called opłatek and exchange wishes.

Two years ago we have moved to London and had to prepare everything on our own. The first success was that no one got slaughtered. The second one was an organisational success – for instance, we finished preparation of dumplings a week before the Eve (after four nights of making dumplings). There was no collision of well wishing and homicidal thoughts when breaking opłatek.

While my mind keeps shouting to write a quick recipe, I refuse to. I will not let totally go, but from today till Christmas I put highest priority on us being all together in this, regardless of how badly we wouldn’t like to.

If I receive a message like “hey, I’m trying to make bread, what should I do?”, I’ll do my best to help.