New Years, part 1

Russian children get their presents on New Years Eve or New Years Day instead of Christmas.

It actually makes a lot of sense.  Have all the silliness one day, and the religious stuff another day.

Since we hope to have bilingual/bicultural children, we decided they deserved at least some of a Russian New Years.

So, Grandfather Frost (literally "Dyid Moroz") came to visit us in the night of the new year, and our children woke up to more surprises (minus stockings).

For E:
--a small metal toy box (can't have enough things to put things in)
--a plain Russian white cotton scarf
--a mini doll (ab 4 inches high)

For K:
--a small metal toy box (ditto)
--plain white Russian cotton scarf
--a 'doctor' kit (since she always likes E's kit from home)

For A:
--a plain white cotton scarf
--plastic doll cooking utensils ("mixing mixing")
--toy car (since she loves everything which "goes")

The kids had gone to bed on New Years eve about when they always do, we stayed up to watch the official broadcast of Moscow midnight -- a short speech from President Putin and a close up view of the famous Kremlin tower as the clock struck midnight with its twelve strokes.  This was shown on every TV station. After a few minutes of solemnity, they all turned back to whatever they were showing (concerts, parties, etc).

They do sell nonalcoholic carbonated juice in the fancy bottles --it is sold as "children's champagne" (complete with Disney princesses), probably because around here, it's only small children who don't have one glass of the real stuff for new years, even if they rarely drink any other time.   But we were so tired we forgot to open it.