Merry Russian Christmas!!

The Russian Orthodox date for Christmas is January 7th and it is an official holiday... the banks and post office are closed, people are out in the malls, gathering as families and enjoying the holiday spirit.

Here are a few of my memories from today:

Five little angels reciting their Christmas poems!

Pastor Valodya presenting gifts to the guys from the rehab center... a meat grinder and some hymnals!

Christmas show at one of the local malls.

Our church service was at noon and afterward Spencer and I went out to Krasnaya Ploshad to try and see a movie, but, the lines were so long that it was impossible. We settled for lunch and then hung out in the bookstore. Everywhere we went we were greeted with the official greeting for today's holiday which is "С Рождеством Христовым" (s rozhdyestvom hristovim) and literally translates to "with the birth of Christ"!