The final part of Lithuanian Christmas Eve is here! And, believe it or not, it involves – yes! – gifts:) I think that I’ve slowly worked you up by now to be curious about how Lithuanians do this big event by exploring the magic of the season in Part 1 and teasing your senses with a recipe in Part 2.
Even though it truly is a spiritual celebration, who doesn’t like gifts? I know, I do! In this regard, we are not that different from anybody else: kids always crave big toys and a lot of them, adults think that they already have everything but in reality they just don’t want to ask for that brand spanking new Tesla or, in a bit more humble circumstances, an Apple Watch (just kidding, of course)… But they are always happy to get something from Santa.
The gift giving part that I am about to describe is much more individual and differs from family to family, unlike the Kūčios rituals and food, which follow a similar pattern throughout the country. Now that I look back at all my childhood Christmas Eves, I admire my grandparents, parents and aunt’s family for putting so much thought into what turned into an amazing tradition for generations to come. So what was so special about it?
I think it was the whole procedure. As the family starts to gather for dinner, I would see the adults scurry with bags to my grandparents’ bedroom and then come out empty handed. As a child, I didn’t think too much about it, but when I grew older, I realized there was a method to their madness: my mom, my aunt, or grandmother would place whatever presents they had in a big red bag there.
After we’ve had our Kūčios dinner, or rather half-way through it, the children start bugging the parents with the questions about the presents. One has to have presents from Santa, you know. After all, it’s Christmas Eve! That’s when the entire operation Kūčios Gift Giving would commence and it went something like this: someone would gather all the children in one place, say, a bedroom or kitchen (it was separate from the rest of the house), or any other place by a window and the kids would start calling Santa. After a few minutes, someone would come in and tell us kids to go back to the living room because, a miracle! – there is a big red bag under the Christmas tree! I remember we were so excited and so thankful that Santa heard us and didn’t miss our house. Then one person would start taking the presents out of the bag and giving them out to those whose name was written on it.
The energy of that evening was naturally bright. Later, when I grew older and started questioning things, I knew it was my parents that placed the presents into the bag and that Santa was mostly Mom and Dad (especially because mom would always check in and ask me: “Was Santa good to you?” Plus, the writing on the Christmas card thoroughly resembled hers;). But to this day I admire my family for building something that took effort on all of the adults’ part and yet it worked seamlessly and everybody had a great time.
I think one other thing that truly stands out for me in my Christmas past is that we lived in a very different time and era – part of it was during the Soviet Union, and part of it was when the country had just become independent and, like a young child, was going through growing pains: economy low or fluctuating, not enough food, goods, etc. We would always get one or two simple gifts – a scarf, or a piece of soap, or, most often, books (mostly because they were the one thing that was more available). And for some reason the only thing that comes close to the happiness those humble gifts would bring now is watching my own children open their presents.
On that note, since I know Tesla is not in the cards, nor is an Apple Watch this Christmas, I’ve made a simple list of what this crazy Lithuanian family is craving this season. I hope this helps you in some way too – a last minute gift idea or finally making up your mind about a particular item.
For the outdoorsy kid
A bike is always a good present in my book. Do you have anyone that could use it?
When you are outdoors, there is just some equipment that makes you feel like a true adventure seeker and survivalist. This looks like a pretty cool survival kit that I know will be appreciated.
For the sports fan
We are in the heat of the basketball and football season and it’s funny how the older the kids get, the more they like clothes. My tween is requesting all kinds of sports gear. Maybe you know someone who could use this, too.
Someone’s into the Harry Potter and The Hunger Games series in my house and I think I’d like me some of The Girl on the Train – I heard it’s really really good! I’ve read the Fates and Furies and highly recommend it. It’s a story about a marriage told from both his and hers perspectives with attention to detail and food for thought. Plus, if you like metaphors, the author is master at painting pictures through them.
For the teenager/almost adult/wanna-be-independent/college student who works hard at school and at work/well, you get the picture:)
And, of course, this item is so well known, no advertising is necessary.
For the mom/lady of the house/sister/aunt/son’s girlfriend/your girlfriend/did I miss anyone?:)
Why is it that women are always last on the Christmas list? It’s because we make those lists and think about ourselves last! But a gift to yourself or a hint with a picture to your significant other has not done any harm to anyone. Aren’t these cute?
What’s on your Christmas list this year?
Have you found anything useful in this post?
