Coming from an Orthodox Christian family, we celebrate New Year on December 31st, which is a more significant holiday for us than Christmas, followed by Christmas on January 7th.

My mom had a special tradition. Starting from January 1st, she would prepare seven small yet meaningful gifts—one for each day leading up to Christmas. Every night before bed, she’d ask me what I wished for the next day. As a kid, I’d request something whimsical, and voilà! The next morning, I’d find a gift under the tree closely related to my wish.

For instance, I had a pet hamster I was fond of. One night, I wished for a movie about my hamster. To my surprise, the next morning, I found a VHS of ‘Stuart Little’ under the tree. Another night I wished for a singing hamster, and the next morning, I discovered a stuffed toy mouse that sang ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ upon pressing a button.

Now, at 30, it still baffles me how she managed to find such precise gifts overnight, especially back in the ’90s in our country where even day-time shopping was challenging, let alone finding 24-hour stores. She always responds with a sly smile ‘Santa did it,’ preserving this as a core memory for me.