Seeing the New Year in, the Old Year out

Hope everyone’s holiday season was filled with happiness, warmth & joy too! I’d like to improve the opportunity to wish all of you happy 2007, a New Year blossoming with smiles and sunshine happiness!

This year we spent Christmas Eve at my parent’s place six of us. On that day we were expected to a lunch at Krisztián’s grandmother and mother too. The festive board included the odd dishes as the inevitable chowder (halászlé) as my father prepares, fish in breadcrumbs with tartar sauce, stuffed cabbage, poppy seed and walnut strudel but I could carry on… By now I’m fill of them and I don’t want to think of eating. In turn New Year’s Eve comes with its cold buffet with good taste and good appearance, frankfurt sausage (virsli) after midnight with mustard, ketchup or horse radish and certainly the inevitable beefsteak as my father prepares (I don’t like it because it’s row meat) with toast.

We gave a toast to Botond (Györgyi & Péter’s firstling) who is my junior by 21 years and a day. Levente is as cute as ever, full of vividness, he was lurking under the Xmas tree and we were afraid of falling the 3 metres high tree over. The boys gladly displayed their newest toys that they have found under it. My mum prepared a cake called molehill with a little marzipan mole on top for Boti and for my birthday as well.

And what are we doing at this time? We enjoy the holiday with relaxing, cooking, taking delight in the presents, receiving guests, having long walks afield and it’s high time to make our big wedding album ready…

Finally, one more picture. This was taken at the ninepins alley in Tata on the occasion of closing the year in company way. These people are only a splinter group of the whole company. Ones omitted the active part of the day (me too, but in fact I was there as an eager supporter, just look for me on the photo).

The last hard-working days in 2006

We have less than a week till Christmas. I hardly believe that Christmas Eve is on Sunday. December is extremely flitting. Tomorrow will be our last workday and the year-end ceremony will be on Wednesday in Tata. In the afternoon there is always a sort of sport activity. Last year it was soccer for boys in a fitness camp, this year it will be ninepins. Then we go to the hotel where the festal dinner and a very short speech by the chief owner is and where accomodation and on the following day breakfast is provided. The majority will sleep there but I won’t, Krisztián wouldn’t liked the fact, so he will pick me up at around midnight. He said that he called for me at any place at any time instead of sleeping separately. Otherwise, I’ll be 26 years old on that day.

Pigsticking

The male members of the family (my father, Krisz, Lajos) got up at dawn on Saturday to stick a pig at my father’s sister’s place in the country 230 kms far away, in Elek. The poor pig had a feeling of his danger because it had eaten nothing for 2 days and had hidden in a corner of the pen. They brought the half of the pig home and prepared the sausage-meat, the greaves, the roast joint and the other „porklings” at home. The boys held their ground heroically in spite of the fact that neither of them have nearly never taken part in pigsticking. We made an end of that day at around midnight.
Xmas preparations are in progress, I primped up the house, my gift supply is rather incomplete than complete, I need to purchase western boots for Krisz, it will be his great surprise. The decoration is just a simple advent-decoration, Krisz remarked that our house is like a souvenir shop, now the best part of it is lag behind.

Saint Nicolas

This evening is a special one for children because they’re waiting for "Mikulás/Télapó" to bring countless sweets: candies, chocolates and in case of wickedness: a little rod. It’s said that they should put their cleaned boots into the window in order that He can fill them. I remember that I got frightened a little when I got my first rod. The buffers in the nursery were fearsome and made me to be a good child - awhile. When I was getting on in years, I had to take my sister to sledge (in those days there was still snow) or we went to the church where we heard a lot about the good works of Bishop Miklós and got a little parcel from the priest whose beautiful vestmen was always suitable to the occasion.