If you are one of the many millions of us who will be staying home for Christmas and the Holidays, avoiding travel and otherwise staying as safe as we can be due to the horrific challenges of Covid-19, this may be the year when you can bring some forgotten traditions into your Hungarian-heritage home.
First Saint Nick Day is December 6th. This is the day to fill shoes with small gifts and treats. (It's up to you if you wish to also gift on Christmas Eve or Day.)
Next, remember that Christmas in Hungary is a religious holiday. You may or may not be Christian or especially religious, so perhaps this will simply be a time for you to read around the subject. Or you might want to get out your Bible and read the passages about the Nativity. Your church might be closed or unable to provide a safe space for an indoor ritual, but you can create your own worship or lessons.
Try to make a Hungarian recipe or two. Goulash (stew) served in bread bowls, sausages, pork and sour kraut, or stuffed cabbages make for hearty meals. Perhaps you will create a vegetarian themed meal using lentils and rice instead. Or make rolled breads with poppyseeds or walnuts or cookies with apricots.
Then there's wine. Mulled wine with spices is popular. Palinka - fruit brandy, also.
But here are some very American ideas for you.
Have a backyard fruit tree harvest and distribute your excess lemons, oranges, grapefruits, around your neighborhood. Believe me this will be good for the tree. You may have grown accustomed to just walking into the yard and picking what your need, but your neighbors will love the gift of fruit. Some shelters and food banks also accept local fruit donations.
Get out the art supplies. Children and adults as well can create personal greeting cards (you really can snail mail instead of e-mail) or Holiday art to be hung on string around the house.
Give yourself a news break. It will be there tomorrow, and chances are very good that if the news is going to impact you, you will hear about it no matter if you check your phone every few hours or not.
Remember the old days when there were no cell phones or the Internet. TALK TO OTHERS. If you have to stay on the sidewalk to greet your friends and neighbors and wear a mask - oh well - hopefully by next year the crisis will have resolved.
Record memories for family history books and genealogies.
Tell those you love that you do.
See you in 2021!
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