Christmas 2016

I didn't write a Christmas post last year because I didn't celebrate Christmas. Since Christmas (on December 25) isn't celebrated in Russia I ended up working. It's in our contract that we don't have to work on certain American holidays, but I'm one of those people who will work if I don't have any plans because I need the money. This year Christmas landed on Sunday, so I only had a private lesson in the morning.

This year I was invited to the home of an American family I work with. There were nine Americans and three Russians in attendance. I have no problem eating Russian foods and experiencing Russian culture, but every so often I do miss America. It was nice to celebrate Christmas with Americans because I got to eat typical holiday food. We had nachos and ranch dressing which I haven't had in a long time! For dinner we ate turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, gravy, cranberry sauce, and, of course, a Russian salad. I didn't realize how much I missed stuffing and green bean casserole.

The day was pretty laid back. We ate dinner, played Apples to Apples, had dessert with tea (because we are living in Russia after all), and exchanged gifts. I finished the night by Skyping with my family and watching Netflix.