Children of the St. Vladimir Parish in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, enjoyed a very special evening recently. Homemade, cut-out butter cookies were prepared and brought in for the children to decorate. Ten children from ages 2 1/2 to 10 had a great time together. (Most of the other half of the parish’s children are still too young to participate). There was multi-coloured icing and lots of decorative sprinkles, frosting tubes, and even mini-marshmallows for them to use. This gave rise to an abundance of creative ideas and sticky fingers. Moms and Dads enjoyed decorating a few cookies, too. The cookies are then frozen until Christmas Day and brought out for the whole parish to enjoy.
The children then practiced singing the Nativity Troparion and their memorized recitations for the Feast Day celebrations. They will make their presentation at the festal meal after the Nativity Liturgy. Afterwards, while parents visited, the children played hide-and-seek in the downstairs of the church building. They had a lot of fun.
Sunday January 1st, after the trapieza, parish members decorated the church and the hall to be ready for the Nativity Feast the following weekend. The weekend after Christmas, we will have our annual Parish Christmas party at Dormition Skete, where Fr. Andrew and his matushka live. The weekend services will be held there at the Dormition Church. Outside, there is a great sledding hill, trails for snow shoeing and cross-country skiing, or a walk up the road. Of course there is the famous winter BBQ. Inside, there are board games, food and treats, and a whole day to be together and enjoy one another’s company. A big bonfire after dark is the grande finale of the party.
Submitted by Matushka Nina
