The Latvians are just as filled with the spirit of Christmas as I remember growing up. Christmas music, mostly from America, filling the airwaves. A neighbor below me plays carols day and night. Lights strung up over the streets and adorning the trees in the park. Piparkūkās, a spicy flat cookie that I've been addicted to and are sold in bulk at the RIMI markets. Live trees being sold at the market. Where do city dwellers plant these after the holidays, I wonder? No Christmas would be complete without a performance of the Nutcracker Suite. Matiss is heading off to Australia for the holidays and Antra is in Toronto with her family. We Whatsapp'd at the Archive this week so I could send her photos of documents written in Russian. It worked but we didn't discover anything new. My family tree continues to grow. Several new limbs have emerged and existing ones sprout new branches. My list of places to visit has expanded to several farm communities. Who knows, I may discover ancestors still working the land like centuries ago. One hopes that the Communists didn't destroy everything that is dear to this nation.
Cheerful street scene in Old Riga
Nutcracker Suite performed by Latvian National Ballet
Wooden tree at the Christmas market--lots of local artisans
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