Anastasia

New Year Resolutions!

 

 

 The New Year is a time for resolutions. Mentally, at least, most of us compile formidable lists of do's and dont's. The same old favourites recur year in year out with monotonous regularity. We resolve to get up earlier each morning, eat less, smoke less, find more time to play with the children, do a thousand and one jobs about the house, be nice to people we don't like, drive carefully and take the dog for a walk every day ! Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are beyond attainment. If we remain inveterate smokers, or stick to an unhealthy eating pattern, it is only because we have so often experienced the frustration that results from failure.

 Most of us fail in our efforts at self-improvement because our schemes are too ambitious and we never have time to carry them out. We also make the fundamental error of announcing our resolutions to everybody so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our bad old ways. Aware of these pitfalls, two years ago I attempted to keep my resolutions to myself. I limited myself to two modest ambitions: to do physical exercises every morning and to read more of an evening. An all-night party on New Year's Eve provided me with a good excuse for not carrying out either of these new resolutions on the first day of the year 2008, but on the second, I applied myself assiduously to the task.

The daily exercises lasted only 11 minutes and I proposed to do them early in the morning before Alkis had got up ! The self-descipline required to drag myself out of bed 11 minutes before Alkis got up - that is at about 6:45 am ! Nevertheless, I managed to creep out of bed  into the living-room for 2 days before Alkis found me out ! After jumping about on the carpet and ..twisting the human frame into uncomfortable positions, I sat down at the breakfast table in an exhausted condition. It was this that betrayed me !

The next morning , hubby trooped in to watch the performance ! That was really unsettling but I fended off the taunts and jibes good-humouredly and soon Alkis got used to the idea. However, my enthusiasm waned.. The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. Little by little the 11 minutes fell to zero. By January 10th 2008, i was back to where I had started from. I argued that if I spent less time exhausting myself at exercises in the morning I would keep my mind fresh for reading when I got home from work. Resisting the hypnotising effect of the Internet, I sat in my study for a few evenings, refusing to switch on the PC, with my eyes glued to a book.

One night , however, feeling cold and lonely (Alkis was away on a business trip), I switched on the PC, logged in TypePad....pretending to read Bleak House by Charles Dickens. That proved to be my undoing, for i soon got back to blogging and replying to comments! I still haven't given up my resolution to do more reading . ( I used to be an avid reader ! ). In fact, I have just bought a book entitled How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute. Perhaps it will solve my problem, but ...I haven't had time to read it yet ! I will.... sometime in 2010!

Monday's Greek Recipe...on a Tuesday! - Vasilopita

Vasilopita is the Greek New Year's cake. Vasilopita is associated with Saint Basil's Day on January 1^st  in Greece. On New Year's Day families cut the Vasilopita to bless the house and bring good luck for the new year.It is traditional to bake a coin into the Vasilopita (St. Basil's cake). The one who receives the coin is considered to be especially blessed  for the year. A piece of cake is sliced for each member of the family and any visitors present at the time. Slices are also cut for various other people or groups, depending on local and family tradition. They may include St. Basil and other saints, the Virgin Mary, the Church and the poor. In my family, slices are cut for Jesus Christ, for the poor and one slice for each member of the family.  Vasilopita is made in honour of a beautiful act of charity by St. Basil to the poor and needy of his flock. In order to insure that the needy would have money for life's necessities, and knowing that the needy were also proud people, St. Basil had the ladies of his church bake sweet bread with coins baked into them. In this way he could give them money without demeaning them at all.  To this day, many wealthy families would place a gold coin in Vasilopita. It is meant as a gift to the lucky one since in Greece and Cyprus we exchange gifts on New Year’s Day as well! Saint Basil is our Santa Claus like Saint Nicholas in other countries.

 

INGREDIENTS

 

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3  ½  cups flour
• 2-3 tablespoons brandy or Grand Marnier liqueur
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• the zest of 1 orange
• 1 cup yoghurt
• 1 cup almonds finely ground
• 1 coin wrapped in foil
  

 

DIRECTIONS

 

• Beat the butter and the sugar in the mixer until fluffy and then add the eggs one by one beating constantly.
• Mix in the yoghurt and sift the flour and baking powder.
• Continue to beat until the batter is fluid.
• Add the brandy or liqueur, the orange juice and the orange zest and continue to beat.
• Mix the almonds and don’t forget to place the coin in the mixture!
• Place the mixture in a flat, buttered pan and bake in a medium oven for about an hour.
• When cold decorate the Vasilopita with some icing sugar and almonds.

Christmas 2009

Christmas Eve - Thursday, December 24th 2009

I had been looking forward to this first day of the Christmas break since early December which is invariably the busiest month of the first school term: piles of homework to mark, last tests of the term, prepare the Christmas activities and organise the Christmas party for the kids. Having finished all my Christmas shopping since Sunday, I got up later than usual and enjoyed a festive breakfast  - hot croissants, eggs and bacon, cereals with fruit and yoghurt and freshly ground coffee. I didn't do much the rest of the day other than email or call friends and family to wish them a happy Christmas.

Alkis came back from work around 6:00pm, had a short rest and then we got ready for the Christmas Eve Gala Dinner at the hotel where we celebrated with some good friends. Everything was absolutely perfect: the elegant decorations, the candles on the tables, the food, the music and above all great company.

Christmas Day - Friday, December 25th 2009

After almost three weeks of stormy weather, low temperatures and heavy rain, we woke to a bright and sunny Christmas with the temperature rising to 23*C. We had spent the night at the hotel, so in the morning I enjoyed my breakfast in the sun gazing at an incredibly calm sea and reading Laurie Lee's Cider with Rosie. Some people were jogging on the beach in their swimming costumes while some children were playing happily on the lawn. Alkis had already gone to work since early in the morning and despite the late night we had had. I sometimes admire his energy and his stamina. In his shoes, I'd be dead!

A couple of hours later, I joined him at the lobby for a pre-lunch champagne cocktail party. During the sumptuous Christmas lunch at the Yacht Restaurant, Santa came to visit with lots of presents for everyone. The children, of course, joyfully ran to welcome him. On a sunny Christmas like this one, all he wanted was a glass of cold beer! Late in the afternoon, we went back home and opened up our presents. Santa was really extra good with me this Christmas!

Here are some photos of yet another memorable Christmas. 

Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas!

I wish our great TypePad Team and Six Apart a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year. Thank you all for everything you have done so far to make blogging a unique experience.

 
I wish you all  a Merry Christmas and would like to thank you for stopping by. May this festival bring abundant joy and happiness in your life!
May this Christmas be so special that you never ever feel lonely again and be surrounded by loved ones throughout!
You are special, you are unique; may your Christmas be also as special and unique as you are! Merry Christmas!
Here's wishing you all the joys of the season. Wish you and your family a Merry Christmas!
May joy and happiness snow on you, may the bells jingle for you and may Santa be extra good to you! Merry Christmas!
May this Christmas be bright and cheerful and may the New Year begin on a prosperous note!
Love, Peace and Joy came down on earth on Christmas day to make you happy and cheerful. May Christmas spread cheer in your lives!
Sending the warmest Christmas wishes to you and your family. May God shower his greatest blessings on you and your family this Christmas.
May all your days be merry and bright and may your Christmas be white! Ah well! Mine is bright and sunny! Merry Christmas!

 

Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht

 

In 1818, a roving band of actors was performing in towns throughout the Austrian Alps. On December 23 they arrived at Oberndorf, a village near Salzburg where they were to perform the story of Christ's birth in the small Church of St. Nicholas.
 Unfortunately, the St. Nicholas' church organ wasn't working and would not be repaired before Christmas. (Note: some versions of the story point to mice as the problem; others say rust was the culprit) Because the church organ was out of commission, the actors presented their Christmas drama in a private home. Even so, that Christmas presentation put assistant pastor Josef Mohr in a meditative mood. Instead of walking straight to his house that night, Mohr took a longer way home. The longer path took him up over a hill overlooking the village.
 From that hilltop, Mohr looked down on the peaceful snow-covered village. Reveling in majestic silence of the wintry night, Mohr gazed down at the glowing scene. His thoughts about the Christmas play suddenly made him to remember a poem he had written a couple of years before. It was a poem about the night when angels announced the birth of the long-awaited Messiah to shepherds on a hillside.
 Mohr decided those words would make a good carol for his congregation the following evening at their Christmas eve service. However, he didn't have any music to which that poem could be sung. So, the next day Mohr went to see the church organist, Franz Xaver Gruber. Gruber only had a few hours to come up with a melody which could be sung with a guitar. However, by that evening, Gruber had managed to compose a musical setting for the poem. It no longer mattered that their church organ was broken. They now had a Christmas carol they could sing without it.
 On Christmas Eve, the little Oberndorf congregation heard Gruber and Mohr sing their new composition to the accompaniment of Gruber's guitar.
 Weeks later, well-known organ builder Karl Mauracher arrived to fix the St. Nicholas church organ. When he finished, Mauracher stepped back to let Gruber test the instrument. When Gruber sat down, his fingers began playing the simple melody he had written for Mohr's Christmas poem. Deeply impressed, Mauracher took the music and words of "Silent Night" back to his own Alpine village, Kapfing. There, two well-known families of singers -- the Rainers and the Strassers -- heard it. Captivated by "Silent Night," both groups put the new song into their Christmas season repertoire.

 

The world´s most famous Christmas Carol: “Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht” (Joseph Moor, Franz X. Gruber):

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht! Alles schläft, einsam wacht Nur das traute hochheilige Paar, Holder Knabe mit lockigem Haar, Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh, Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh. Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht! Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht Lieb’ aus deinem holdseligen Mund, Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund’, Christ, in deiner Geburt, Christ, in deiner Geburt! Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht! Die der Welt Heil gebracht, Aus des Himmels goldenen Höhn, Uns der Gnaden Fülle läßt sehn, Jesum in Menschengestalt, Jesum in Menschengestalt! Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht! Wo sich heut alle Macht Väterlicher Liebe ergoß, Und als Bruder huldvoll umschloß Jesus die Völker der Welt, Jesus die Völker der Welt! Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht! Lange schon uns bedacht, Als der Herr vom Grimme befreit In der Väter urgrauer Zeit Aller Welt Schonung verhieß, Aller Welt Schonung verhieß! Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht! Hirten erst kund gemacht; Durch der Engel Halleluja Tönt es laut von fern und nah’; Christ der Retter ist da, Christ der Retter ist da!

Silent night, holy night, All is calm, all is bright Round yon virgin mother and Child. Holy Infant, so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace. Silent night, holy night, Shepherds quake at the sight; Glories stream from heaven afar, Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born! Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love’s pure light; Radiant beams from Thy holy face With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth. Silent night, holy night Wondrous star, lend thy light; With the angels let us sing, Alleluia to our King; Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born

 

Monday's Greek Recipe - Melomakarona and Kourabiedes

And so this is Christmas and that time of year again in Greece and Cyprus to feel the divine smell of homemade Christmas sweets like kourabiedes and melomakarona. Despite my very busy schedule at work, I made time and baked some. But I used  different recipes this year - easy to bake - and just as delicious.

A. MELOMAKARONA - HONEY COOKIES

Ingredients:

• 3 cups pure sunflower oil
• 8 cups flour
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 a cup brandy
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbs cinnamon and clove powder
• 5-6 tbs baking powder
• 1 tbs salt

For the syrup

• 1 cup honey
• 1.5 cup water
• 1.5 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS

• Add all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them well together. The dough must feel oily.
• Form round or oblong shapes and put them in a pan. Do not butter the pan!
• Bake for about 30 minutes.
• When they're cold enough prepare the syrup as follows: Boil the honey, water and sugar till they get foamy. Put the melomakarona in the hot syrup for about 15-20 seconds, drain them and then wrap them in the crushed walnuts mixed with cinnamon.

B. KOURABIEDES - GREEK CHRISTMAS COOKIES

 

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2  tbs brandy
• 1 cup blanched almonds roasted and finely chopped

To Finish

• 1 cup icing sugar
• rose water

Directions

• Beat the butter and the sugar together in the blender and add the egg yolks and the brandy.
• Gradually add the flour and the baking powder.
• Using a spoon mix the almonds.
• Take small amounts of dough snd shape in round , oblong or crescent shapes.
• Place them in a non-stick unbuttered pan and bake in a medium oven for 30-40 minutes.
• When they are cold enough sprinkle them with rosewater and wrap them in icing sugar.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS !

Kala Xristougenna - Merry Christmas!

Euphonic Night

Kyau and Albert have been DJing and producing music since 1993, with a long stream of hit singles, two artist albums and numerous remixes of tracks by the biggest names of EDM such as Armin Van Buuren, Paul Van Dyk, Gabriel & Dresden, Oceanlab, Kosheen, John Askew & Blank & Jones. Active in the scene and holding position 22 in DJ Mag's Top 100 Poll. The producers behind the tracks 7 Skies, Are you fine?, Grreat Megashira, Walk Down, Kiksu, Hooked on Infinity, Not with you, Velvet Morning, Made of Sun and many others. Supported over the years by every trance DJ in the world including the likes of Paul Van Dyk, Armin Van Buuren, Tiesto, Ferry Corsten and Above and Beyond.

Where the power of words ends, the music begins. Diverse and unique sounds, blended musical styles mashed up with a distinct fondness for groove in every sense, and you got Cressida. Launched in 2005, Matthias (Cressida) gained instant recognition for his tracks and remixes and worked with several labels including Lost Language, Baroque Records, Afterglow, Ava Recordings (managed by Andy Moor) and Somatic Sense only to name a few. 2008 was a breakthrough, the track “6AM” holds the record as highest charting trance-track and was the best selling trance single of the year 2008, got nominated for a beatport award and was featured on the compilation “In search of sunrise” by Dj Tiesto. The follow up of this hit, Onyric released in March 2009 has built a huge hype around while predictions see it taking the same ward path with 6AM.

The night will also feature sets by:

Johnny Rizk (MixFM)
Familiar in Cyprus from his show on MixFM radio and from his performances in big events with Ferry Corsten and Armin Van Buuren where he rocked the outdoor stage with a 5 hour+ phenomenal set. Catch his show 'Outbreak' on MixFM or at any time on cluboholic.com's DJ on Demand

Shadow vs DeepImpact

Special Euphonic Decoration, Lasershow, Dancers, Glowsticks & enhanced sound system.

When

Monday, December 21st, 2009

Time: Starts at 23:00

Where

Club Nuovo

11 Stasinou Street
Engomi

Nicosia, Nicosia Cyprus

Show venue on map

Cost

€20 / €25

 

Tickets for 20 euro are available at:

Nicosia:
Public (at Mall of Cyprus)
Potato Jack Makariou (ex Jack in the box)
Potato Jack Egkomi
Cafe Caprice

Limassol:
Potato Jack (Enaerios)
Public (MyMall Limassol)

Larnaca
Potato Jack

Online:
http://tickets.cluboholic.com

 

Some Favourite Christmas Quotes

• And so this is Christmas for black and for white, for yellow and red, let's stop all the fight.
• At Christmas play and make good cheer, for Christmas comes but once a year. - Thomas Tusser, The Farmer's Daily Diet
• Best of all, Christmas means a spirit of love, a time when the love of God and the love of our fellow men should prevail over all hatred and bitterness, a time when our thoughts and deeds and the spirit of our lives manifest the presence of God. - George F. McDougall
• Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart... filled it, too, with a melody that would last forever. - Bess Streeter Aldrich
• Christmas is not in tinsel and lights and outward show. The secret lies in an inner glow. It's lighting a fire inside the heart. Good will and joy a vital part. It's higher thought and a greater plan. It's glorious dream in the soul of man. - Wilfred A. Peterson (The Art of Living)
• Christmas is the day that holds all time together. - Alexander Smith
• Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. - Norman Vincent Peale
• From Home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other. - Emily Matthews
• It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. - W. T. Ellis
• Next to a circus there ain't nothing that packs up and tears out faster than the Christmas spirit. - Frank McKinney Hubbard
• The earth has grown old with its burden of care But at Christmas it always is young, The heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair And its soul full of music breaks the air, When the song of angels is sung. - Phillips Brooks
• The rooms were very still while the pages were softly turned and the winter sunshine crept in to touch the bright heads and serious faces with a Christmas greeting. - Louisa May Alcott
• What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace. - Agnes M. Pharo
• When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things-not the great occasions-give off the greatest glow of happiness. - Bob Hope
• You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world, which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
• There's more, much more, to Christmas Than candlelight and cheer; It's the spirit of sweet friendship, That brightens all year. It's thoughtfulness and kindness, It's hope reborn again, For peace, for understanding, And for goodwill to men!"
• It came without ribbons, It came without tags, It came without packages, boxes, or bags. Christmas can't be bought from a store... Maybe Christmas means a little bit more. - Dr. Seuss
• Christmas, in its final essence, is for grown people who have forgotten what children know. Christmas is for whoever is old enough to have denied the unquenchable spirit of man. - Margaret Cousins

 

Christmas is Love

 

God is Love

Christmas is all about love

Christmas is thus about God and Love

Love is the key to peace among all mankind

Love is the key to peace and happiness within all creation

Love needs to be practiced - love needs to flow - love needs to make happy

Love starts with your partner, children and family and expands to all world

God bless all mankind.

Το Σεντούκι των Χριστουγέννων

 

Υπάρχουν πολλών ειδών Χριστούγεννα. Των πιστών και των αγοραστών. Τα κοσμικά και τα οικογενειακά. Τα φωτεινά και τα μελαγχολικά.

Υπάρχουν διάφορα τοπία για Χριστούγεννα. Τα βόρεια - με πάγο και χιόνι - και τα νότια - με φοινικιές και αστέρια.

Υπάρχει ξεχωριστό ύφος Χριστουγέννων. Του Dickens ή του Παπαδιαμάντη. Των παραμυθιών ή των Ευαγγελιστών.

Ο κάθε άνθρωπος, κάθε χρόνο, έχει τα δικά του Χριστούγεννα. Που, από πέρυσι σε φέτος, μπορεί να απέχουν αιώνες!

Για μένα, πάντως, από τότε που έπαψα να είμαι παιδί, τα Χριστούγεννα είναι πάντα μνήμη. Μία γιορτή όπου επιστρέφω. Τα Χριστούγεννα, θυμάμαι - και την Πρωτοχρονιά, ελπίζω.

Κι όσο περνάνε τα χρόνια, τόσο περισσότερο θυμάμαι - και τόσο λιγότερο ελπίζω.

Αυτή τη χρονιά θέλω να θυμηθώ μαζί σας. Όχι πως οι αναμνήσεις μου είναι ιδιαίτερα σημαντικές - όλοι έχουμε ανάλογες. Αλλά, στην αγορά της καρδιάς, τι άλλο έχει ένας άνθρωπος από τις εμπειρίες του; Τις χαρίζει, τις ανταλλάσσει - καμιά φορά τις εμπορεύεται.

Ανοίγω λοιπόν το σεντούκι των Χριστουγέννων και ξετυλίγω επτά ιστορίες. Αρχίζοντας - που αλλού - από τα παιδικά μου χρόνια.

Αθήνα, Δεκέμβρης 1944. Τα Χριστουγεννιάτικα αυγά.

Είμαι εννέα χρόνων, δεν ξέρω τίποτα από Χριστούγεννα, δεν έχω δει ποτέ έλατο, μήτε στολίδια. Έχουμε πολύ πεινάσει στην Κατοχή, έχουμε πουλήσει παλιά προγονικά κειμήλια γενεών, έχουμε ανταλλάξει το πιάνο της μάνας μου με ένα ντενεκέ λάδι. Μα αυτές εδώ οι γιορτές του '44 είναι οι πιο παράξενες, συνοδευμένες από εκπυρσοκροτήσεις όπλων, εκρήξεις βομβών, κροτάλισμα μυδραλιοβόλων, το γλουγλούκισμα των όλμων που περνάνε πάνω από το σπίτι.

Εμείς τα παιδιά έχουμε χάσει και την αλήτικη κατοχική ελευθερία μας. (Τι κάναμε! Παίζαμε με σφαίρες και καψούλια, με κάλυκες και μακαρόνια δυναμίτη! Πατούσαμε απότομα με τα πέταλα του τακουνιού μας την άκρη του μακαρονιού - κι έφευγε σφυρίζοντας σαν πυροτέχνημα.

Ποια πέταλα; Μα όλοι φορούσαμε σιδερένια πέταλα στα χιλιομπαλωμένα παπούτσια μας για να μη λιώνουν. Και περπατώντας αντηχούσαμε σαν αυτούς που χορεύουν κλακέτες!)

Τώρα όμως μας έχουν μαντρώσει μέσα στο σπίτι «μη σας πάρει καμία αδέσποτη». Κι αυτό δεν ήταν άδεια κουβέντα. Λίγες ημέρες πριν, η ξαδελφούλα μου η Νίκη, με ξανθό ίσιο μαλλί ως τη μέση, δέχθηκε μία σφαίρα στον κατάλευκο κρόταφο.

Κλεισμένοι μέσα, χωρίς φως - είχαμε συνεχείς διακοπές ρεύματος - καίγαμε μαγκάλι για ζέστη. Ο πατέρας βρισκόταν στην Σκομπία - έτσι λέγαμε τότε το κέντρο της Αθήνας που ελεγχόταν από τους Εγγλέζους του Σκόμπυ. Εμείς, είχαμε δίπλα μας την πολιτοφυλακή του ΕΛΑΣ. Η μητέρα φοβόταν τους Ελασίτες αλλά μία φορά που ήρθαν στο σπίτι, με τις γενειάδες και τα φυσεκλίκια τους, μας φέρθηκαν πολύ ευγενικά.

Ο πατέρας εργαζόταν στο υπουργείο Οικονομικών - και (έτσι θυμάμαι) τον είχε καλέσει ο υπουργός για μία έκτακτη δουλειά αλλά δεν μπόρεσε να επιστρέψει. Γεγονός πάντως πως μας έλειπε - και πως, παραμονή Χριστουγέννων, δεν υπήρχε ούτε φως, ούτε ζέστη, ούτε πατέρας. Μόνον όλμοι και βόμβες.

Καθόμασταν λοιπόν γύρω από την λάμπα του πετρελαίου (ακόμα νιώθω την μυρωδιά της) όταν ξαφνικά ακούμε ένα κορνάρισμα έξω από το σπίτι. Παρά την απαγόρευση πετάγομαι στο μπαλκόνι - και τι να δω! Ένα νοσοκομειακό του Ερυθρού Σταυρού στην πόρτα μας - κι ένας εξάδελφος μου, μεγαλύτερος, που μου γνέφει να κατέβω.

Κατρακυλάω τα σκαλιά. Τα νοσοκομειακά ήταν τότε τα μόνα οχήματα που ελευθεροκοινωνούσαν ανάμεσα στις δύο ζώνες. Ο εξάδελφος έφερνε μήνυμα από τον πατέρα. Ήταν καλά και μας έστελνε για δώρο μία σοκολάτα και δύο αυγά.

Τώρα εσείς νομίζετε πως χάρηκα για τη σοκολάτα. Όχι πολύ - είχα ξαναφάει μία, Αγγλική, στην απελευθέρωση. Το θαύμα ήταν τα αυγά. Παιδί της κατοχικής πόλης, είχα ξεχάσει πως είναι ένα αυγό. Τα χάζευα, τα χάιδευα (τι τέλειο σχήμα που έχουν!) κι όταν τα βράσαμε και τα κόψαμε, έμεινα εκστατικός μπροστά στο χρώμα και τη γεωμετρική συμμετρία του κροκού μέσα στο ασπράδι.

Έτσι λοιπόν έγινε που, αντί για πασχαλινό, εγώ χάρηκα τότε αυγό Χριστουγεννιάτικο.

ΝΙΚΟΣ ΔΗΜΟΥ