Apart from its strong religious message, Christmas is celebrated everywhere around the world as a joyous family affair. In Greece, Christmas is the time when families and their numerous members get together in the warmth of their house in the heart of winter and spend time together eating, talking and playing games. This house, usually the grandparents’ house, a place that is closer to an institution to the Greek mind. It is a house connected with childhood memories, smells and noises of fun, safety, and family. Whether it is a place decorated with the traditional Christmas boat or the western Christmas tree, you can feel the Christmas spirit within moments. And that is because Christmas is the time to remember and count your blessings, it is the time to celebrate your family and friends and shower them with gifts that show how much you love them. Usually in Greece, the gift of being present at a family celebration is the greatest gift you can give.
Of course family is a much wider term than we might think at first. Friends become families, colleagues sometimes feel like a part of a family and various communities share this feeling as well. Like school communities. In the last week before Christmas break, schools in Greece plan events to celebrate this important holiday within their community. We at Greek Lessons OnLine have always been very keen on doing whatever we can to keep these school traditions and to create a close-knit community that despite the distance and time differences feels the need to get together and celebrate on various occasions. Just like the big Greek family that we feel we are. So, on the 15th of December, Greek Lessons OnLine will celebrate Christmas with an online event that our students, from each and every continent of the world, planned and will “star” in with the help of their teachers. Greek carols, traditions from around our country, Christmas recipes, songs and of course gifts will all take part in this important day for us. So, on behalf of our teachers and the admin team we wish every single member of our online family Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
