We wish you a Merry Christmas from Greece! We have so many things to be thankful for this Christmas! We finally have internet set up in our home, so we have been able to talk to our families today, and we can update you here!

If you read our December newsletter, you heard a little about Christmas in Greece. I wanted to take a moment and let you know a little more about how they do Christmas here.

For example, rather than Santa Claus coming into the chimney, Saint Vasilis climbs onto your balcony, and (we presume) into your home to give gifts.

Saint Vasilis, the patron saint of sailors, whose feast day is celebrated on January 1, was known for helping the poor by giving out loaves of bread with money hidden inside. So every New Years Day, Greeks give one another a loaf of bread with a coin inside to celebrate the new year.

While Greeks celebrate Christmas on December 25 just like us, Christmas is a day for gathering with family and celebrating the birth of the Savior. However, they wait until Saint Vasilis day on Jan 1 to actually open presents. So Catherine and I got a jump on all the Greeks today by opening presents on Christmas!

We’ve been very thankful for the fact that Greeks hang lights for Christmas, as it has made it feel a little bit like home. In Syntagma square [a huge plaza across from the Greek Parliament building ], there has been a huge Christmas tree and winter carnival going on for the last few weeks. Beautiful!

So, from the bottom of our hearts, we wish you a Merry Christmas, or as they say in Greek, “Καλά Χριστούγεννα” [”Kala Christougenna”] and a “Χρόνια Πολλά” [”Chronia Polla”], or Merry Christmas and many more!

image from stratikis.gr