HOLIDAY HOME dining room is filled with handwritten personalized letters the kids have received from Santa. Mixed in are Kathe Wohlfahrt ornaments they bought during atrip to Germany. The angel topper is a family keepsake. Antique Russian plates passed down from Catherine’ smother are proudly set out as special occasion dinnerware. Each has adifferent Russian bedtime fable pictured on it. Poppers at every place setting are opened up at Christmas Eve dinner to reveal jokes and small prizes.“ Most of our decorations are either Russian or German. I’ m Russian and Slovak,” Catherine explains.“ My husband is German.”
The Eriksons take the countdown to Christmas very seriously, and make adifferent advent calendar every year, so they have plenty of them now. Candy treats in mason jars are one-aday treats for every day in December. Paper chains and clipped on notes become holiday garland displaying notes of good intentions, wishes made, and daily prayers.
Brugge and Hayden dress up and ➤
HOLIDAY 2016 WAYNE MAGAZINE 35