Just about the time some of us put away our decorations and take down our tree, Armenians ramp-up for Armenian Christmas! The Armenian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 6, not December 25. This day is also known as Epiphany, the revelation of Jesus being God’s son. For most Armenians Christmas is a religious holiday and […]
Christmas
A girl, her bunny and Santa Claus
A girl, her bunny and Santa Claus Her first visit with the big man in the red suit went well. They chatted each other up, laughed and shared stories. And…she found out she’s on the “good list!” Here’s a rendition of ‘Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer’ to all of you from our little elf. She said […]
Twas the Afternoon Before Christmas
Twas the afternoon before Christmas. And all through the house, not a creature was stirring (or so we thought). The child was nestled all snug in her bed (as it turns out, not so much). And mamma in her apron with Big Papa by her side, had just settled our brains (because it had been […]
Close encounters of the Santa kind
This year, Little Bird made it known she really wanted to meet Santa Claus. Live and in person. When I heard that Mr. Claus himself might make an appearance at her preschool excursion to see a children’s performance of the Nutcracker, I went along to help the two of them get acquainted. Plus, I really […]
Celebrate Christmas and New Year the Armenian way
Just about the time when most of us are taking down our Christmas trees and packing up our ornaments for next year, Armenia is ramping up for week of holiday festivities. In Armenia, Christmas falls on January 6th and Christmas Eve is celebrated the night before, January 5. This is because Armenians–for centuries–followed the Julian […]
Rudolf’s relief workers: Sled dogs
Two weeks ago, when we visited Enchanted Winds Tree Farm, we got to meet two beautiful sled dogs, Maka and Cassie, who were visiting with their owners from Cle Elum, Washington. Sled dogs or sledge dogs are a distinct breed of dogs, known for their incredible running speed. These powerful dogs most likely evolved in […]
An enchanted Christmas tree adventure
Two years ago, at Enchanted Winds Tree Farm in Issaquah… Our first trip to cut down the family Christmas tree was memorable, but not in a good way. Our little one, at 1-1/2 years old, was very unhappy, so the following year we went to a tree lot instead. This year, we decided to try […]
Happy Armenian Christmas
Armenian Christmas cartoon by Sareen Akharjalian Happy Armenian Christmas! Why is it that Armenians celebrate Christmas on January 6, rather than on December 25th with the rest of the (Christian) world? Since the exact date of Christ’s birth had not been established (nor recorded in the Gospels), all Christian churches celebrated Christ’s birth on […]
Lights to put you in a holiday state of mind
To love beauty is to see light. ~Victor Hugo Armed with my camera and in the company of ‘Mamas with Cameras,’ I went to Olympic Manor and found myself in a world of lights. Bundled up (it was a COLD night), a dozen mamas strolled through an entire neighborhood of magical homes. If you’re a […]
Not a creature was stirring, except…
Happy Holidays from our home to yours.