The holidays

Here's the beginning of an article (from Єдині) I read today: 

Probably, this year, each of us heard the phrase from acquaintances that the Christmas holidays passed too quickly, and the mood is not festive at all... Perhaps this is connected with the shift of the holiday period in connection with the transition of the Ukrainian church to the New Julian calendar. Maybe because there was no snow or frost. Yes, I think it is because Ukraine is losing its best sons and daughters in the war every day, and the news from the front, unfortunately, does not add optimism. But, despite everything, we should celebrate. Not loudly and pompously, but quietly, in the family circle, thanking those who give us such an opportunity. We must preserve our traditions not only for ourselves, but also for future generations....

The article then goes on to tell about the holiday of the Baptism of Christ, which used to be towards the end of January and now is January 6, tomorrow.

So, yes, our holidays are already coming to an end, and yes, they felt short and strange and mixed up. (Although, here in Ivano-Frankivsk, it seems like the Catholics are really trying to hold on to the old calendar, so we might not see Baptism until January 19.) Yesterday we returned from Kherson, today Raia left for Lithuania, Monday will be the start of lessons, homeschool, and the next semester for our university students.

I will plan on sharing more about how we spent our holidays, but a good part of that needs to be more private, so be sure that you're signed up to get our prayer letters, if you want to hear about that.

For now, I hope you have had a wonderful holiday season and wish you all the best in 2024! Thank you for your love for us and for supporting us here.