Christmas Eve/ Бъдни Вечер 2013

We go to the Bulgarian Store in Astoria (Queens). I am getting help in Bulgarian for the dishes we need to make! We buy everything.
We come home! This year Michael does a lot of the cooking. We do the ritual bread.
There is some yelling, lots of excitement, prayer, and our little girl gets the coin in her piece.
I am torn, as always, should I do this or that. I only have 2 hands.
At the end the 9 dishes are all on the table. There is peace.
There is the special mood of Christmas when doing anything else but being together and feeling the warmth of our home is impossible.
The Sunday before Christmas Eve Ava was in her first performance. She sang "Jesus Loves Me" in the Christmas Recital at the Holy Martyr's Armenian Church where she is a Sunday school student.
At 2 1/2 she came on stage dressed as an angel, followed directions, sang and walked off gallantly.
Tears came streaming down my face. She grew up so much that day, and it was the perfect day to do that on- in the anticipation of the birth of Our Saviour, singing for Him.

A traditional Bulgarian dinner for Christmas Eve (a simple variation for a tiny group of 3).