We wish you Peace, Health and Happinessand the continuous support of the Greek-Americans whose...

THIS HOLIDAY INSERT WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF:

Μaria Allwin / The Behrakis Family Foundation / John Calamos, Calamos Investments / John & Margo Catsimatidis

Angeliki Frangou – Navios Maritime Holding, Inc. / George M. Logothetis, Libra Group / Jim & Ted Pedas

Michael and Robin Psaros / Dr. Spiro & Amalia Spireas, Sigmapharm Laboratories

and the continuous support of the Greek-Americans whose advertisements appear in this special supplement.

We wish you Peace, Health and Happiness

www.thenationalherald.com

SATURDAY-SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23-24, 2017

TH

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NATIONAL HERA

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The National Herald

Christmas 20172 THE NATIONAL HERALD, DECEMBER 23-24, 2017

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Merry

&ChristmasHappy

New Year!

Michael and Robin Psaros & Family


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K & K International, Inc. 7030 Quad Avenue, Rosedale, MD 21237

Tel: 410-574-5550 w w w . k k c o n t a i n e r . c o m

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Warm Wishes to the

Greek American Community

and the Greeks back in homeland

for Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2018

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By Stephanie Nikolopoulos

Sometime after Black Friday and Cyber Mon-day, when we’re standing on yet another longline, our minds may begin to turn towards otherswho are less fortunate. We may feel a tug on ourhearts as we remember the real reason for theseason: the story of an unwed teenaged motherwho gave birth to the Son of God and had to fleewith her family as refugees to a foreign land. Je-sus, whose very name is translated from the wordthat means “salvation,” would go on to admonishHis followers to feed the hungry, clothe the poor,welcome the stranger, and visit prisoners(Matthew 25:31-46). Whether you’re looking togive a gift to someone on your shopping list thatwill benefit a person in need or want to give backas an act of Christian service, here are a few ideasfor how to get started.

A21, founded by Greek Australian ChristineCaine, is a nonprofit organization working to abol-ish twenty-first-century slavery – human traffick-ing that can take the form of sex trafficking andforced labor. Greece is among the eleven countriesin which A21 works, and according to 1099, theHuman Trafficking Resource Line sponsored byA21 Greece in partnership with other serviceproviders, “Greece is known as ‘the center of traf-ficking in Europe.’” A21 works with law enforce-ment, local governments, and NGOs to “freeslaves and disrupt the demand” and providesrestorative treatment such as medical attentionand counseling. You can make donations directlyto the nonprofit, and you may also purchase Lib-erty scarves, which exist to “restore dignity andto empower survivors of human trafficking.” Seewww.A21.org.

The International Orthodox Christian Charities(IOCC) “in the spirit of Christ's love, offers emer-gency relief and development programs to thosein need worldwide, without discrimination, andstrengthens the capacity of the Orthodox Churchto respond.” According to its website, “Over thelast 23 years, on average IOCC has used 92¢ outof every dollar for programs that help people inneed. The remainder goes toward administrationand fundraising costs.” There are several ways togive, including giving a gift in someone’s honor,assembling various types of emergency gifts, andplanning fundraisers. You can get more informa-tion at https://www.iocc.org.

Saint Basil Academy “is the Greek OrthodoxArchdiocese home for children in need. The acad-emy provides a loving Christian environmentwhere resident children are nurtured to adult-hood.” Located in Garrison, NY, the 501c3 entitythat was founded in 1944 seeks monetary dona-tions for the living costs of the children and hasan ongoing operational wish list on its site thatincludes everything from a baby monitor to sportsequipment. The Academy also seeks volunteerswho can tutor, become active role models, andbecome host families. Whether you have moneyto donate, items in good-working condition togive, or want to become personally involved inchanging a child’s life, visithttp://www.stbasil.goarch.org.

The Smile of a Child provides “prevention ac-tivities for all children in Greece to address phe-nomena of violence and/or child disappearances,as well as provide medical preventative exami-nations.” Located throughout Greece, it offers 24-

hour “services for all children in Greece regardlessof ethnicity and/or religion.” The charity has beenin existence for more than twenty years, and ac-cording to its website, “All economic data of theFoundation are publicized and annually checkedby the Body of Sworn-in Accountants of Ernstand Young.” In addition to making a donation,you can also purchase mugs, towels, key chains,and other merchandize – some of which havebeen manufactured by volunteers – to supportthe charity. Find out more at https://www.hamo-gelo.gr/gr/en.

Threads of Hope Hellas helps women exitingor avoiding prostitution through mentoring andby teaching them “valuable trade skills related tosewing, which we pray will give them a dignifiedsource of income wherever they may go. Moreimportantly, they study Scripture in communityand learn about the Lord together.” A non-profitcivil partnership in Athens, sponsored by the char-ity Nea Zoi and EME Ministries, Threads of HopeHellas not only accepts donations but also sellsbags, aprons, oven mitts, and other accessoriesstitched by women who were once trafficked andare now free, and the money goes back to servingwomen in need. Beginning in the summer 2015,the bags were also made with 100% Greek cotton:“Given the growing gravity of the Greek economiccrisis, we feel it is an important time to committo sourcing our materials solely from textile man-ufacturers and resellers here in Greece.” To readwomen’s survival stories and peruse their goods,visit http://www.threadsofhope.gr.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but itshould help point you toward a few causes thatmay be on your heart. You may even decide toadd charitable giving, volunteer work, or com-mitment to prayer for those in need as part ofyour New Year’s resolutions.

Give Back This Christmas

Purchasing Liberty Scarves from A21 helps sur-vivors of human trafficking.

A21.ORG


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Best Wishes

for

Merry Christmas

Let’s not forget spiritual

is the birth of Christ

the Son of God.

Peace on Earth to all

The BEHRAKIS Family


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The Officers and Directors

of

HABA – Hellenic American Association

for Professionals in Finance

wishes everyone

a Merry Christmas

and all the best in the coming year

PO Box 6954, West Palm Beach, Florida 33405

Christ is Born: Glorify Him....

Glorify Him through prayer

and song and celebration!

Glorify Him by requiring accountability,

transparency, unity,

and your involvement in all

levels of Church Life.

Merry Christmas

and a Blessed New Year

www.ocl.org

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Merrick Funeral Home2039 Merrick Avenue, Merrick, NY 11566-3434

Tel.: (516) 378-0303THADDEUS W. BAXTERWAYNE C. BAXTERDANFORD BAXTERJAMES F. GAVIGAN - MANAGER

Best Wishes for

Merry Christmas

Happy and Prosperous

New Year

to the Greek-American

community

N.F. Walker, Inc.

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MerryChristmas

& HappyNew Year

From a Friend

By Eleni Sakellis

The Christmas season, asthe song tells us, is “themost wonderful time ofthe year.” The spirit fills

our hearts with warmth andcharitable feelings as no othertime of the year. Memories ofChristmases past often come tomind while we decorate the treeand bake Yiayia’s famous recipespassed down through the gen-erations. For those of us in theUnited States it seems like theseason extends from the end ofAugust and on through Januaryand February by the relentlessadvertising and shopping, fol-lowed by the returning of giftsthat didn’t fit or weren’t quiteto our taste.

The Christmas songs havebeen playing in some stores formonths now and some mayeven be experiencing fatiguefrom all the shopping, goingfrom party to party, and prepar-ing for the big Christmas feast.It can be easy to lose sight ofthe important things like spend-ing time with family andfriends, giving back to the less

fortunate, visiting a hospital ornursing home and offering akind word to those forgottenpeople we often turn away fromthe rest of the year. It is easy toturn a blind eye, as we often do,to the suffering around us.

Many people hide behindwork or family obligations, mak-ing excuses about the lack oftime, and wishing they could domore.

Putting words into actions isnot often a high priority. It iseasier to throw money at a prob-lem and say I did my good deedfor the year, but it is the actionsthat count.

Our words mean nothing ifwe do the opposite of what wesay; if we call ourselves Chris-tians but don’t actually followChrist and his teachings. He is“the reason for the season,” asthey say, regardless of whetheror not we have the bumpersticker, it makes sense to “keepChrist in Christmas.”

So while we are beingcrushed in the crowds of shop-pers at the mall or staring at acomputer screen ordering giftsonline until are eyes are bleary,

we should take a moment andthink what would Jesus do?

We should be aware of the

crass materialism all around us,even if we feel we need to be apart of it, it should not com-

pletely consume us or our time.Getting or giving the perfect giftshould be about love and not

about things, since material pos-sessions, objects, are left behindin this world.

The important things in lifeare priceless. Helping those inneed, doing your best to makethe world a better place, kind-ness towards others, those arethe gifts that keep on givingthroughout the year. The spiritof Christmas should be with usall year, along with the faith andgood will toward humanity as-sociated with the season. Oncewe accomplish that, anything ispossible.

The traditions and valuesthat have shaped our way of lifeshould be especially celebratedand shared during the holidays,though we should also not losesight of the true meaning be-hind those traditions and values.We do things for others not forshow or for awards and recog-nition from the community, butbecause those things should bedone and it is the right thing todo year round. When in doubt,think what would Yiayia andPappou do.

We wish you all a MerryChristmas and Happy New Year!

The Christmas Season is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Christmas 2017THE NATIONAL HERALD, DECEMBER 23-24, 2017 7

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AHI Headquarters Hellenic House

1220 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036Tel.: (202) 785-8430 - Fax: (202) 785-5178

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the American hellenic Instituteand its Affiliates

The AHI FoundationThe AHI Business Network

The AHI Public Affairs Committee

wish all

a Merry Christmasand

a Joyous New Year

Season Greetingsfrom

ALEX and FAYE SPANOS and Family

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GrEEk OrthODOx BASkEtBALL LEAGuE

Merry Christmas

and a Happy New Year

from

the Communities,

Players, Families and the entire

G.O.B.L. Board of Directors

By Dr. Constantinos E.Scaros

Barry Goldwater famouslysaid that “extremism in the de-fense of liberty is no vice.” Thatmay be true, but so is this: ex-tremism just to make a point isno virtue.

I speak out against politicalcorrectness as forcefully as any-one. To watch people tiptoearound the word “Christmas” forfear of offending a non-Christian– never mind that the vast ma-jority of non-Christians, includingmost atheists, have no problemwith it – is exactly what’s wrongwith our country.

Yet some objectors to this typeof extreme behavior respondwith their own extremism: “in-your-face” Merry Christmas.

These in-your facers, a goodnumber of whom are Greek,boast that “if I walk into a storerun by a Muslim or a Jew or aHindu around Christmastime, Isay ‘Merry Christmas’ to them onpurpose!”

That is quite a Neanderthalway to behave in a civilized soci-ety, and is eminently un-Christ-

like, which is particularly ironic,then, that it is occurs during theYuletide season.

Then, there are those whobend over backwards not to of-fend, and in doing so, manage tooffend. You know, the ones whowhen leaving a December officeparty will say goodnight to threeChristians and a Jew all standing

together, like this: “Merry Christ-mas, Merry Christmas, MerryChristmas, Happy Holidays.”What they don’t realize they’redoing in that sequence is nonver-bally communicating to the per-son of Jewish faith the following:“You’re a Jew, so clearly I’m notgoing to say Merry Christmas toyou because it’s not your holiday.

You have a different holiday.You’re different from the rest ofus. And just in case you didn’tthink about being different thewhole time you’ve been at thisparty, I’ve just reminded you.”

A good time-and-place mea-sure of when to say “MerryChristmas” might be whether itis on Christmas Day itself or a

different day during the Christ-mas season.

On December 25 (apologiesin advance to Old Calendarists,but for the purposes of this dis-cussion, I’ll use the Gregoriandate to keep it simple), saying“Merry Christmas” aloud shouldbe acceptable in any circle. Ofcourse, you can also say “Happy

National Pumpkin Pie Day,” be-cause that holiday is also cele-brated on the 25th of December– really, I’m not making it up.

But in early December, what’swrong with “enjoy the holidays?”Personally, I prefer it to “happyholidays” only because the latterfeels like a forced adjustmentfrom “Merry Christmas,” whereas“enjoy the holidays” is often saidin conjunction with the “C-word.”

Besides, another of thosenearly-universally celebrated“holidays” during the Christmasseason is New Year’s Day – Janu-ary 1 (again, apologies to the OldCalendarists).

Therefore, the “holidays” thatare the object of your goodwishes do not necessarily meanChristmas vs. Chanukah vs. Ra-madan vs. Kwanzaa vs. Yalda vs.Bodhi Day, but could meanChristmas and the New Year.

Whatever your preference, itshould neither be “in your face”nor walking on eggshells. Some-thing tells me that wouldn’t bethe way Jesus wants his birthdayto be celebrated.

Merry Christmas – Enjoy theHolidays!

Saint GeorGeGreek orthodox ChurCh

7701 Bradley Blvd., Bethesda, MD 20817 • Tel.: (301) 469-7990

Father Dimitrios Antokas

Presiding Priest,

the Parish President Stephen Vlahos,

the Board Members

and the entire community

wish you all

a Blessed Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year

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There is a Time and a Place to Say “Merry Christmas”


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Wishing you

and yours

a Merry Christmas

and a Happy

and Healthy

New Year

Maria Allwin

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“As when God became man in Bethlehem the eternal Word became flesh,

so in the Bible, the glory of God veils itself…”St. John Chrysostom

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

By Eleni Sakellis

NEW YOrk – The Axion EstinFoundation (AEF) AnnualChristmas Reception was heldon December 15 at the Con-sulate General of Greece in NewYork. The event celebrated thefourth year of Byzantine Pop-Ups at the Metropolitan Mu-seum of Art and included a de-lightful Christmas Concert bythe Westchester County GreekYouth Orchestra led by conduc-tor Thanos Kokkalas.

Among those in attendancewere the Consul General ofGreece in New York Konstanti-nos Koutras and his wife PopitaPavli, Consul of Greece Spyri-doula-Ioanna Zochiou, AEF Ex-ecutive Director AngeloLampousis, Maria Dikeakos-AEF President of the Board ofDirectors, Fr. RobertStephanopoulos and his wifePresbytera Nikki, as well asmany members of the commu-nity.

Kokkalas gave a brief intro-duction to the Christmas Con-cert noting the dedication of thestudents to their music studiesand especially to the Greek mu-sical heritage and tradition. The

concert began with the Apoli-tikion for Christmas followed byO Come All Ye Faithful in Greekand English, Christougena Pro-tougena, Silent Night, WhatChild is This, and the Kalantafor New Year’s and Christmas.

The second half of the con-cert featured Greek songs in-cluding Tou Gamou composedby Mikis Theodorakis, EnasKombos i Hara Mou by StavrosKougioumtzis, H Balada touOuri by Manos Hatzidakis andNikos Gatsos, Odos Oneiron byManos Hatzidakis, To Oneirotou Polemisti by Demetris Yfan-tis, the traditional Tzivaeri, andconcluded with Manos Hatzi-dakis’ O Kyr Antonis.

The Westchester CountyGreek Youth Orchestra’s musi-cians are: Alexander Mulder (vi-olin I), Manolis Huerta (violinI), George Kalyvas (violin I),Simos Dimas(violin II), MariaHaralampopoulos (violin II),Elaine Poulos (viola), HannahLaskaris (viola), Dimitrios Har-alampopoulos (viola), ChristinaHuerta (piano), Achilles Siouzos(piano), Andreas Mulder (trum-pet), Daphne Ballas (bass clar-inet), Michael Dalaris(bouzouki), Eleni Papastefanou

(voice), Panagiotis Papastefanou(voice), and Elaina Poulos(voice).

The enchanting performanceby these young musicians, andespecially the impressive vocalsby Eleni Papastefanou, Panagi-otis Papastefanou, and ElainaPoulos, brought the GreekChristmas spirit to everyone inattendance. Knowing that thetraditional songs are in goodhands for the future made theaudience proud.

The event was held underthe auspices of the ConsulateGeneral of Greece in New York.The Axion Estin Foundation’sMostly Orthros Festival is ahighlight of the holiday seasonin New York featuring wonder-ful events and fascinating dis-cussions to expand the public’sappreciation of the season andof Byzantine music and tradi-tion.

The AEF is a not-for-profiteducational organization with acore mission of promotingByzantine Music and the Arts.AEF gratefully acknowledgedthe lead support by the StavrosNiarchos Foundation and TheRev. Peter N. Kyriakos Endow-ment Fund.

Axion Estin Foundation ChristmasReception at Greek Consulate

the Westchester County Greek Youth Orchestra performed a Christmas Concert at the GreekConsulate.

TNH/ELENI SAKELLIS

2016

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A very blessed and joyous Christmas

and a healthy, peaceful and prosperous New Year

Archie D. Typadis, Esq.(617) 243-9455


201699/356

EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN and FOUNDER

By Eleni Sakellis

WhItEStONE – The AHEPAFamily Christmas Party was heldon December 17 at Holy CrossGreek Orthodox Church inWhitestone. The celebrationtook place after the DivineLiturgy and was sponsored bythe AHEPA District 6 Lodge andhosted by the Andreas T. Stam-boulidis Parthenon Chapter. Thechildren of St. Basil’s Academywere in attendance at the freeluncheon which also celebratedthe feast day of St. Dionysios ofZakynthos, Archbishop ofAegina, and the name day ofHoly Cross presiding priest Fr.Dionysios Anagnostopoulos.Also present were members ofthe clergy who assisted Fr. Anag-

nostopoulos in the DivineLiturgy, Fr. Nathanael Syme-onides, Fr. Chrysostom Panos,Fr. George Anastasiou, and Fr.Nicholas Soteropoulos, as wellas guest chanter Photios Ketset-zis- Professor of Byzantine MusicEmeritus at Hellenic CollegeHoly Cross Greek OrthodoxSchool of Theology and ArchonProtopsaltis of the Greek Ortho-dox Archdiocese of America.

Ketsetzis was honored thisyear by the Axion Estin Founda-tion for his lifelong contributionsto Byzantine music education.The foundation issued a com-memorative journal in honor ofKetsetzis, who was present andactively involved in the 2017Mostly Orthros festival thisweekend. He served as Protop-

saltis from 1977 to 1983 at theNational Shrine of the Annunci-ation of the Virgin Mary (Pana-gia Megalochari) of Tinos,Greece. From 1992 to 2010 heserved at Hellenic College andHoly Cross as Professor, Protop-saltis of the Holy Cross Chapel,and Director of the St. Romanosthe Melodist Byzantine Choir. Hewas trained under renownedmaster cantors DimitriosSourlantzis and ThrasyvoulosStanitsas.

Fr. Anagnostopoulos thankedeveryone in attendance for at-tending his name day celebra-tion, especially AHEPA and Ted(Theodosios) Stamas- EmpireDistrict 6 Lodge District Gover-nor, and the Ladies PhiloptochosSociety for their efforts. He

noted the wonderful workAHEPA does for Hellenismworldwide and mentioned meet-ing a group of Ahepans inGreece on their way to visit amonastery and explaining toGreeks in Greece what greatwork the organization does forHellenism, children, the GreekOrthodox faith, and for the com-munity across the globe. Fr.Anagnostopoulos noted espe-cially AHEPA’s many charitableefforts and the hospital in Thes-saloniki among the many goodworks of the organization,adding the blessing that St.Dionysios give them strength tocontinue their efforts.

Ted Stamas welcomed every-one to the Christmas party andnoted the many fellow Ahepans

present as well as the Daughtersof Penelope. He thanked theLadies Philoptochos Society ofHoly Cross, noting that the event“would not be possible withoutthem” and the Parish Council,especially President Effie Kar-alekas. Stamas also acknowl-edged the presence of the chil-dren from St. Basil’s Academyand their guardians and pointedout that St. Basil’s Academy re-lies on donations from thePhiloptochos, AHEPA, theDaughters of Penelope, and in-dividuals to continue its mission,and not at all from the Archdio-cese. Stamas said that gift cardswould be distributed to the chil-dren from St. Basil’s and dona-tions were made by AHEPA andthe Daughters of Penelope and

encouraged those present whowere moved to help to donateand also to join the organiza-tions as they are looking to growthe chapter. He concluded bythanking Fr. Dionysios for hisspiritual guidance and for shar-ing his name day celebrationwith the AHEPA Christmas party.

A magician entertained thechildren and the party con-cluded with the singing ofChristmas carols.

Among those in attendancewere Tom Dushas- AHEPA Re-gion 3 NY/NJ/DE Supreme Gov-ernor, AHEPA Supreme SecretaryJimmy Kokotas, Dimitrios Skart-siaris, Lou Katsos, Argyris Argi-takos, Dr. Sotirios Stergiopoulosand his wife Matina (née Argi-takos) and son Georgios.


Merry Christmas and a Happy

and Healthy New Year

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The Sofia & Angelo K. Tsakopoulos FamilyKatina Tsakopoulos

Ambassador Eleni & Markos KounalakisAthena Tsakopoulos

Brianne & Kyriakos TsakopoulosChrysa & George Demos

Alexandra & Alessandro Hillman

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Best Wishesfor a Happy and Healthy

Holiday SeasonAnd Prosperous 2018

From the Pancretan Association of America

Board of DirectorsPresident Eleftherios Dramitinos

www.pancretan.org

AHEPA Family Christmas Party atHoly Cross Whitestone

Seated, left to right: tom Dushas, Lou katsos, and ted Malgarinos. Standing: Magician kamarr,John Delagrammatikas, Paul Makropoulos, Fr. Dionysios Anagnostopoulos, Jimmy kokotas,Dimitrios Skartsariaris, Chris Gallis, ted Stamas, Argyris Argitakos, and Mike Papafotis.

Fr. Dionysios Anagnostopoulos gave the blessing at the AhEPA Christmas Party luncheon inthe Vasilios and Athanasia kartsonis hall at holy Cross Church.

PHOTOS: TNH/COSTAS BEJ


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AHEPA, since 1922 promoting the ancient Hellenic ideals of Education, Philanthropy, Civic

Responsibility, and Family and Individual Excellence through community service and volunteerism.

Rediscover your Hellenic Heritage, join today call AHEPA at (202) 232-6300

SUPREME VICE PRESIDENT GEORGE E. LOUCAS

CANADIAN PRESIDENT CHRISTOS ARGIRIOU

SUPREME SECRETARY JIMMY KOKOTAS

SUPREME TREASURER GEORGE G. HORIATES

SUPREME COUNSELOR DEMETRIOS C. KIRKILES

SUPREME ATHLETICE DIRECTOR LOUIS G. ATSAVES

SONS NATIONAL ADVISOR SANDY J. PAPADOPOULOS

SUPREME GOVERNOR REGION 1 PETER J. NASSOS

SUPREME GOVERNOR REGION 2 CLEON J. KORDISTOS

SUPREME GOVERNOR REGION 3 THOMAS DUSHAS

SUPREME GOVERNOR REGION 4 JACK ISAAC

SUPREME GOVERNOR REGION 5 CRAIG A. THEROS

SUPREME GOVERNOR REGION 6 DONALD F. VANOVER

SUPREME GOVERNOR REGION 7 NICHOLAS C. DIXIE

SUPREME GOVERNOR REGION 8 GEORGE S. BOORAS

SUPREME GOVERNOR REGION 10 DR. ALFRED BARICH

The Supreme President of the Order of AHEPA, Carl R. Hollister on behalf of his entire Supreme Lodge and all the officers and members of the Order of AHEPA, wishes everyone

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Happy New Year

MerryChristmas

&


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The President of the Federation of Hellenic Medical Societies

of the United States & Canada

Spyros G.E. Mezitis, MD, PhD

wishes to all hellenes and Philhellenes a Very Merry Christmas

and a happy and healthy New Year 2018

May the New Year bring strength to Hellenic Education, unity in the Greek American Lobby,

and synergy among the Greek-American Societies!

For Greece, may the New Year bring hope, prosperity and social justice.

Spyros G.E. Mezitis, MD, PhDEndocrinology, Diabetes and Thyroid Diseases

New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill-Cornell Medical CenterLenox Hill Hospital/Northwell Healthcare System

220 East 69th Street, New York, NY 10021tel: (212) 288-6661 • Fax: (212) 772-1210

******************

www.hellenicmedical.com

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LYNN: One Andrew Street, Lynn, MA 01901 • tel.: (781) 598-0820

PEABODY: 32 Central Street, Peabody, MA 01960 • tel.: (978) 968-2222

SOMErVILLE: 377 Summer Street, Davis Square, Somerville, MA 02144 •tel.: (671) 539-8570

ONLINE: www.myccu.org

wishes

A Μerry ChristmasTO ALL OF OUR MEMBERS AND FRIENDS

Dr. Nicholas Sarantopoulos, President /CEO


The Danes may have createdthe gentle art of “hygge” – thatis, living cozily and well withcommunity during the longScandinavian winter months –but the Greek ideal of “philoxe-nia,” which refers to the ancientact of hospitality, means Greeksembrace a cozy lifestyle of to-getherness throughout the en-tire year.

While Greece is worldrenowned for welcomingtourists to its white sandbeaches in the summer, thecountry is just as beautiful whenits mountaintops and milkywhite ruins are dusted is a cov-

ering of pristine snow. Theserenity of the landscape andthe warm neighborliness of thepeople set the tone for Greekhygge. A cozy Greek lifestyle isparticularly sweet in the quieterwinter months and can be emu-lated in your own home no mat-ter where you live.

First, set the scene for creat-ing an inviting and comfortablehome in which you and yourfamily and friends can hunkerdown when it’s too cold to gooutdoors. Long before IKEAmade sheepskin rugs ubiquitousto minimalistic Scandinavianchic, rug makers in the moun-tains of Greece were hand-mak-ing flokati rugs. These shagwool rugs are naturally a beau-tiful off-white that add warmthand character to any home’s de-sign aesthetic. Imported rugscan be purchased from most rugdealers.

With evening lasting longer,candlelight offers a soothing

golden glow. The flickering ofthe fire feels organic and ethe-real, conjuring up the light thatis shared from one person to thenext until all the candles are litat midnight during the GreekOrthodox Easter service. Insteadof the lambada Easter candle,try lighting one of these: Waksis a Greek-based retailer thatmakes candles in such delec-table scents as salt water, sweetfig and pomegranate, and oakfire; Gina Balourdas’ Etsy shopMy Greek Home sells candlesthat “will warm up every roomwith the scents of tropical fruits,citrus and exotic mountaingreens”; Archipelago Botanicalsmay be American but its San-

torini Soy Candle will whisk youto the Greek islands with its “ex-otic and rich scent, blending lo-tus flower, bergamot and lemonleaf.”

Next, consider some heart-warming meals and beverages.Avgolemono, a Greek chickensoup that you can easily findrecipes for online or in mostGreek cookbooks, is a cure allfor winter. Baking meanwhilecan be therapeutic. Paying at-tention to detailed recipes cre-ates mindfulness, and kneadingthe dough may be a stress re-liever. The warmth of the ovenmay warm your home, and thesweetness of the spices may in-vigorate your spirit. This is awonderful season to bake yourtreasured heirloom recipes forkourabiedes and melo-makarona. These two varietiesof Greek Christmas cookies arealways a fun treat to have onhand for when guests arriveunannounced to fill your home

with cheer. A warm drink is always fes-

tive! Put a Greek twist on yourstandard hot chocolate by mak-ing a Kourabiedes White HotChocolate. Simply prepare yourfavorite white hot chocolate mix(such as Land O Lakes ArcticWhite Hot Cocoa Mix orSerendipity 3’s Frrrozen HotWhite Chocolate Mix) with afew cloves (to taste) and rimyour mug with a coat of pow-dered sugar. You can leave it vir-gin or you can add a splash ofbrandy to it. If hot chocolatedoesn’t suit your mood, perhapsyou can make a mulled Greekwine, a strong Greek coffee, oraromatic Greek mountain tea.

Now that you’ve entered intoa more relaxed state, you mayenjoy more reflective activities.Consider hosting a grown-upcoloring book party or simplyputting on some soft music andletting your mind wander as youcolor on your own. There are anumber of beautifully illustratedGreek coloring books on themarket, such as Sara Alexi’s TheGreek Village Coloring Book; AColoring Book of the Odysseyfrom the Art of Ancient Greece;and Rachel Mintz’s AncientGreek Classic Pottery Vase DécorColoring book.

With Christmas upon us, theseason may also have you feelingmore connected with your faith.The Church encourages a num-ber of fellowship events, and youmay also continue worshippingat home through reading thestory of Jesus’ birth in the Bible(Luke 2 is an easy place to start),memorizing Bible verses eachday of Advent (John 3:16 is per-haps the most famous), andpraying. Starting a prayer journaland gratitude journal may helpyou carry the Spirit of the seasonin your heart even on the coldestof days – both physically andmetaphorically.

With your heart and mind inthe right place, you will feelmore centered during the rushof the holiday season. Carvingout time for yourself will para-doxically also help you findmore time for the people whomatter to you most as well as tothose who may need your spe-cial Greek touch of philoxenia.Whether you invite someoneinto your home, treat a home-less person to a hot cup of coffeeon a cold winter day, or write aletter to an old friend, you canextend warm feelings towardothers.

The Foundation is proud to work in partnership with the University of Michigan

for the study of Modern Greeklanguage, culture and history in the 21st century

8001 Ronda Drive, Canton, MI 48187 • Tel.: (734) 459-3000

MerrY ChriStMaS and a heaLthY and haPPY neW Year

MerrY ChriStMaS and a heaLthY and haPPY neW Year

The Foundation for Modern Greek Studies extends warmest appreciation and respect to the Hellenic Community for its support

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George P. MarafatsosSupreme President

2615 Belle Crest Lane, Silver Springs, Md 20906Τel.: (301) 526-7448

Year 2016-2017

Supreme Assistant TreasurerVickie kostakou Bouth, 727-584-2771

regional Supreme Vice Presidents:Povince of Quebec:harry latropoulos, 450-687-5004 or727-937-5014Voula rizakos

Province of Ontario:James kokkoros, 416-225-3410

New England:Maria Piskopanis, 978-459-7 408Fotis Piskopanis, 978-459-7 408

Mid-Atlantic States:Georgia Crassas, 301-439-8198Christos Marafatsos, 240-393-8932

NY, NJ, CT:Chris Bakes, 860-429-8518

Mid-Western States:helen Atsaves, 847-673-1063

Southeastern States:Elpida Lakiotis, 727-562-2890Nick koutrakos, 803-463-6522

West Coast of USA & BC of Canada:John Varelas, 650-430-1786Eleni Varelas, 650-430-1786

Attiki, Greece:Irene A. Moustafellou, 011-30-210-958-2613

Laconia, Greece:konst. tsegos, 011 -30-694-510-8733konst. tsipoupas, 011-30-698-303-3157Nicholaos Selymos, 011-30-697-600-6555

Outside of the USA & Canada:Voula Lagakou, [email protected]

Supreme Counselors:konst. Markakos, 773-716-7654Peter Grivogiannis, 416-465-9355

Supreme Director of Membership:Dimitrios hios, 703-281-3569

Supreme Directors of Education:Chrisovalanta koulouris, 847-971-1207Demitra Marafatsos, 240-461-1842

Supreme Directors of Projects:theodore tsafatinos, 727-441-2660John Vlahakis, 517-202-4956

Supreme Director of Protocol:helen Atsaves, 84 7-673-1 063

Parliamentarian:George Zaharoolis, 978-453-6200

Commander, Knights and Ladies of Sparta:Gus S. Plagianis, 770-242-8722

Historian and Archivist:John Dimopoulos, 301-937-9285

Supreme Directors of Laconian Youth:Irene Goranitis, Md, 781-326-6004

Supreme Publicity Directors andAmbassadors at Large:M. karakitsos, G. Menegas,P. rapatas

Website: www.panlaconian-federation.orgWebsite Director:Anna Plagianis, 770-242-8722

PAN-LACONIAN FEDERATION OF UNITED STATES AND CANADA, INC.

wishes Everyone

a Merry Christmasand for The New Year

Peace, Love and Happiness

***Ευχόμαστε στους Απανταχού Λάκωνες

και σε όλη την Ομογένεια

ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ΠΟΛΛΑΚΑΛΑ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΝΑ

Υγεία, Ευτυχία και Πρόοδο για το ΝΕΟ ΕΤΟΣ 2018

Catherine latropoulosSupreme Treasurer

Demitra G. MarafatsosSupreme Secretary

Vickie Kostakou BouthSupreme Assistant Treasurer

Mary latrou-DemasSupreme Vice President, USA

Peter RizakosSupreme Vice President, Canada

Make this Holiday Season More Cozy

By Eleni Sakellis

NEW YOrk – The Axion EstinFoundation Chanters performedthe Byzantine Pop-Ups on De-cember 15 in the MetropolitanMuseum of Art’s (MMA) Me-dieval Sculpture Hall, Gallery305, in front of the only full-scale, authorized painting of theDeesis Mosaic from HagiaSophia. The original mosaic dis-playing the Deesis (Christflanked by the Virgin and SaintJohn the Baptist) was one of thefinest works produced in Con-stantinople, capital of theByzantine Empire.

Concealed for centuries afterthe fall of the city to the Ot-toman Turks in 1453, the mo-saic was one of the many in Ha-gia Sophia restored by theByzantine Institute of Americain the late 1930s. The newly re-vealed mosaics were the focusof an exhibition at the Museumin 1944, when this work wasfeatured.

The dramatic setting with itsfestive and holy atmosphere en-hanced by the beautifully deco-rated Christmas tree surroundedby the Neapolitan BaroqueCreche attracted Byzantine mu-sic enthusiasts as well as a curi-ous crowd of museum visitors.

Christos Chalkias struck thetalanto to signal the start of theperformance. Specially made forthe Byzantine Pop-Ups by theXenophontos monastery, the ta-lanto, a wooden plank used in-stead of a bell in monasteries ofthe Eastern Orthodox Christiantradition, summons the monksto prayer and meals.

Among the hymns performedwas Christ is Born, Glorify Himand continued with Christmaschants and carols from theByzantine Empire. The music in-cluded scores in multiple lan-guage as they have been trans-mitted orally or preserved incenturies-old Greek music man-uscripts. The versions in Arabicare informed by the originalwork conducted by legendaryLebanese cantor Mitri el-Murr.The versions in Armenian paytribute to the once-thriving Ar-menian community of Aleppo,through the study of renditionsas they were preserved until thestart of the devastating civil warin Syria. The versions in Russianreflect ongoing explorations onthe use of the Church Slavoniclanguage, intonated and in-spired by the Byzantine musicmodal system as interpreted bythe late Lycourgos Angelopou-los.

Among those in attendanceat the event were Consul Gen-eral of Greece in New York Kon-stantinos Koutras, Consul ofGreece Spyridoula-Ioanna Zo-chiou, and AGAPW Founder andPresident Olga Alexakos.

The museum visitors werecaptivated by the powerfulvoices of the chanters. Somehad come only to see the Christ-mas tree and were pleasantlysurprised by the performancethat took place. Many attendeeswere of Greek descent and rec-ognized the hymns and carols,noting that “now they felt thetrue spirit of Christmas.” Therewere three performances of the

Byzantine Pop-Ups at 4, 6, and8 PM and all were free with ad-mission to the museum.

The performers, an interna-tional ensemble of singers in theAxion Estin FoundationChanters, included EleftheriosEleftheriadis, Christos Chalkias,Nektarios Antoniou, Rassem ElMassih, Spyro Antonopoulos,Georgios Theodoridis, StephenEsper, Constantine Kokenes,Theodore Brakatselos, NicholasReeves, and Eystratios Gatanas.

Eleftheriadis, Director of theAxion Estin Chanters, is thefoundation’s artist in residencesince 2013. This year marks hisfourth appearance in the Byzan-tine Pop-Ups at The Metropoli-tan Museum of Art followingthree previous performances inthe Byzantine Pop-Ups (Decem-ber 2014, 2015, and 2016), aswell as in the concerts LookingEast from Byzantium (March2015) and Al-Quds: Jerusalem(December 2016) both at TheGrace Rainey Rogers Audito-rium. Eleftheriadis is affiliatedwith the Saint Nicholas GreekOrthodox Shrine Church and

the William Spyropoulos School,both in Flushing, New York.

The Byzantine Pop-Ups aremade possible by the Axion Es-tin Foundation (AEF), a not-for-profit educational organizationwith a core mission of promot-ing Byzantine Music and theArts. AEF seeks to stimulate ap-preciation and study of this artform through its unique net-work of academic, music, arts,and liturgical organizations inthe United States and interna-tionally.

AEF produces programming,events, and publications in acomprehensive effort to broadenunderstanding and audience forByzantine Music in the UnitedStates.

Lead Support for Axion EstinFoundation's Byzantine Pop-UpConcerts at The MetropolitanMuseum of Art was provided bythe Stavros Niarchos Founda-tion. Major support for AxionEstin Foundation's ByzantinePop-Up Concerts at The Metro-politan Museum of Art was alsoprovided by The Rev. Peter N.Kyriakos Endowment Fund.


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Byzantine Pop-Ups at Metropolitan Museum of Art

the Axion Estin Foundation Chanters on the balcony performedin front of the only full-scale, authorized painting of the DeesisMosaic from hagia Sophia at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Axion Estin Foundation Chanter Christos Chalkias strikes thetalanton to begin the Byzantine Pop-ups at the MetropolitanMuseum of Art, followed by fellow chanter Nektarios Antoniou.

PHOTOS: TNH/ELENI SAKELLIS


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the families and personnelMerry Christmas

Happy & Prosperous New Year

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www.hs s . edu /phy s i c i an s_k i rou -ky r i akos . a sp201264/138

Κyriakos A. Kirou, MD, DSc, FACPR H E u m A T O L O G I S T

Director of Lupus Nephritis Program Hospital for Special SurgeryAssistant Professor of Clinical MedicineWeill Medical College & Cornell University

a b

Best wished to the entireGreek American Community

for a Merry Christmasand a Happy, Healty

and Prosperous New Year

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

and aHappy and Prosperous

New Year

Peter Mesologites &

Leonard Zangas

VISION ENTERPRISES PPORERTIES286 Northern Blvd., Great Neck, NY 11021

201549/486

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By Eleni Sakellis

The Christmas feast can takeon epic proportions in the Greektradition. The classic Greek fa-vorites are almost always pre-sent at the Christmas feast,roasted meats, pastitsio, mous-saka, spanakopita, a selection ofcheeses- feta, kasseri, kefalo-graviera, dips such as taramos-alata, and a variety of olives,plus the American traditionalfoods like roasted turkey withstuffing. The following menu fora Christmas meal includes someof the favorites and some varia-tions to try. The desserts duringthe holiday season can also goon for days, but no Christmasdessert table is complete with-out baklava, kourambiedes,melomakarona, and decoratedsugar cookies. Festive dessertscan be time-consuming to puttogether, especially when theoven is occupied with the savoryfoods for dinner. The followingdesserts can be made ahead oftime and will delight yourguests this Christmas. As al-ways, we wish you all the best

in your cooking endeavors andMerry Christmas!

Christmas DinnerMenu

roasted turkey with Gravyroasted Pork Loin Baked PotatoesGreek Salad with herbsGreek Cheese Course

Christmas DessertsBaklavaSugar CookiesGingerbread People

Roasted Turkey

1 turkey fresh or frozen,thawed according to packagedirections 4 lemons 4 carrots, peeled 4 celery stalks

Greek sea salt Freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 de-grees. Remove the gizzards andany labels from the turkey. Rinseit with cold water and place ina large roasting pan. Juice thelemons and reserve thesqueezed out rinds to stuff intothe turkey’s cavity. Pour thelemon juice over the turkey. Addthe carrots and celery stalks tothe pan. Salt the turkey and addfreshly ground pepper. Roast theturkey until golden brown ac-cording to the times on thepackage and turning the turkeytwice, once when the breaststarts to color and then again

after the back is golden brown.After the first turn, salt and pep-per the

back of the turkey and con-tinue roasting. If your oven hasa convection roast setting, useit, but raise the oven tempera-ture to 400 degrees. Allow theroasted turkey to rest at least15-20 minutes before carving.Reserve the pan juices to makegravy.

Gravy

Reserved pan juices 2-4 tablespoons dry white wine

Water 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice totaste 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour Salt and pepper

The recipe for gravy is morea technique than a strict recipe.The amount you make often de-pends on the size of the turkeyand how much liquid is left afterroasting. Adjustments to theamount and flavor of the gravyare made with the addition ofwhite wine, water and lemonjuice. The thickener used in thismethod is all purpose flour. Therecipe above is for a turkey

Our Favorite Recipes for Christmas

Continued on page 243299

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THEODORE Ε. TSEKERIDESΑttorney at Law | Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP767 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10153, Tel.: (212) 310-8218

a b

Merry ChristmasHappy, Healthy, Prosperous

and very Productive New Year


3039/532

dr. ahmed

Mohiuddin,

Md, FaCC

President and CEO,Medical Center of Boston International, Inc.

TO ALL OF OUR GREEK FRIENDS IN AMERICA AND GREECE

WE WISH YOU A HEALTHY

HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS HOLIDAY SEASON

The Medical Center of Boston International, Inc.

Contact information:Medical Center of Boston international, inc., 411 Waverly oaks road, Suite 333, Waltham, Ma 02452

tel.: (781) 894-8858 • Fax: (781) 894-8856

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ΚΑΛΑ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΝΑ

ΚΑΙ ΕΥΤΥΧΙΣΜΕΝΟΣ

Ο ΝΕΟΣ ΧΡΟΝΟΣ


a b

AMERICAN HELLENIC EDUCATIONALPROGRESSIVE ASSOCIATION

GOLD COAST CHAPTER NO. 456Manhasset, New York 11030

Order of AHEPA

PRESIDENT

John G. [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT

Chris Pappas

SECRETARY

Dr. Michael Georgis

RECORDING SECRETARY

Nick [email protected]

TREASURER

Ted Malgarinos

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Leonard Zangas

Dr. Dean Pappas

HONORARY GOVERNORS

Evens Cyprus

Tom Gardianos

SON ADVISOR

Andrew [email protected]

Membership is open to everyone who believes in the mission of the organization.

Please visit our website for more info:http://sites.google.com/site/ahepa456/

For additional info or other inquires please e-mail:[email protected]

We are the largest chapter on Long Island and the 5 Boroughs.

Our meetings are held at the Port Washington, Yacht Club,

located at One Yacht Club Dr., Port Washington, NY

first Wednesday of each month, 6:00 pm.

We have a new Sons of Pericles Chapter. Contact John G. Levas, president,

at [email protected] for more information. Sons are encouraged to join this new chapter.

The Gold Coast Chapter is conducting a membership drive.Please contact our chapter’s President or Secretary

if you want to join our wonderful group. We have more that 145 members to date.

The members of the Gold Coast Chapter#456 wish everyone

a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Join us! We are fun! 20

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about 14 pounds.After roasting the turkey, allowing it to rest and transferring it

to a carving board or platter, pour the reserved pan juices througha fine strainer into a heat and cold-proof container, like a largePyrex measuring cup, and set them in the refrigerator to cool inorder to skim some of the fat that will rise to the top. Chill for atleast 30 minutes, though the longer it cools the easier it is to seeand skim off the fat. Leave as much or as little of the fat as youprefer, the flavor is really in the juices underneath. If you frequentlymake gravy, you might consider buying a specifically designed fatseparator, with a spout that allows you to pour the warm juicesinto your saucepan while holding back the fat. It saves a little timeif you’re in a hurry to make your gravy otherwise the refrigeratormethod works just fine.

Once you have skimmed off the fat, place the remaining panjuices in a medium to large saucepan depending on the amount ofgravy you’re making and the amount of juices remaining. Addwater if the juices are already very concentrated from roasting. Ifyour roasting pan is quite dry, deglaze by adding a few tablespoonsof white wine or water to the pan, heating it on the stovetop andscraping with a wooden spoon to release the cooked bits that willmake your gravy tasty. Reduce over medium heat. Pour through astrainer into a saucepan over medium heat. In a bowl measure out5 tablespoons of flour for 4-5 cups of gravy. Stir in enough waterto make a slurry and add to the saucepan to thicken the gravy. Stirconstantly with a wire whisk to avoid lumps. Though if you do getlumps, don’t panic, just pour the gravy through a strainer and intoanother saucepan and continue simmering until the gravy is bub-bling and thickened. Add lemon to taste for freshness and acidity.Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.Pour gravy into a gravy boat or serving dish and enjoy with yourturkey.

*Gravy troubleshooting: If your gravy is too thin, add a littlemore flour and continue simmering and stirring until the gravythickens. Make sure you allow the gravy to cook thoroughly, atleast ten minutes after adding additional flour in order to avoid anuncooked flour taste.

If the gravy is too thick, add more of the reserved pan juices ifany are left, or a little more water or lemon juice, taste and adjustthe seasoning if needed.

Roasted Pork Loin

2 pounds pork loin1 lemon4-5 garlic cloves1/2 cup dry white wine SaltPepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Season the pork loin withsalt. Sear the pork loin to caramelize it on all sides in a preheatedpan over medium high heat. A cast iron skillet is ideal for searingthe meat, but a good frying pan will also work. Once the pork isgolden brown on all sides, transfer to a roasting pan. Add the juiceof one lemon, the garlic cloves, white wine, and freshly groundpepper. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, turning the pork abouthalf way through the cooking process. If your oven has a convectionroast feature, use it for this recipe. You might need to add a littlewater or additional wine to the roasting pan if the juices dry outduring the cooking process. Once the pork is roasted, remove itfrom the oven, cover with foil and allow it to rest for 15 minutesbefore slicing. Pour the pan juices over the sliced pork and serveimmediately with a side salad, baked potatoes, and/or the vegeta-bles of your choice.

Baked Potatoes

4-6 large baking potatoes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the potatoes thoroughly.Pat dry with paper towels. Wrap them in parchment paper andplace them on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 400-degreeoven for about an hour or more until the potatoes are completelytender. Wearing an oven mitt, you should be able to squeeze thepotato and it should give in the middle, indicating its doneness.Serve warm with a sprinkle of salt or mash with a drizzle of oliveoil, salt and pepper for a variation on mashed potatoes. If preferred,sweet potatoes can be substituted for baking.

Our Favorite Recipesfor ChristmasContinued from page 22

Merry Christmas

Best wishes

for a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous

New Year!

The Pappas Family

uuu

In loving memory of our beloved husband, father and grandfather

Peter J. Pappas200789/610

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Continued on page 26


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By Aria Socratous

Ice skating at Times Square,watching the snow glisten inCentral Park, viewing the winterwonderland displays in flagshipstores along Fifth Avenue andthe tree lighting spark Christmasspirit. We are told that Christ-mas should be the happiest timeof year, an opportunity to be joy-ful and grateful with family,friends, and colleagues. Butwhere does the truth stand?

According to the National In-stitute of Health, Christmas isthe time of year that people ex-perience a high incidence of de-pression. Hospitals and policeforces report high incidences ofsuicide and attempted suicide.Psychiatrists, psychologists, andother mental health profession-als report a significant increasein patients complaining aboutdepression.

The real reasons have to dowith unrealistic expectationsand excessive self-reflection formany people. A lot of them gethighly depressed during Christ-

mas season due to excessivecommercialization, extreme fo-cus on gifts and perfect socialactivities such as gourmet galadinners, invitations to parties,and VIP social gatherings.

On the other hand, others getdepressed because Christmasappears to be a trigger to en-gage in excessive self-reflectionand rumination about the inad-equacies of life, feeling senti-ments of failure of self-fulfill-ment in comparison with otherpeople who seem to have and

live the ideal life.Many people feel very lonely

during Christmas period be-cause they have suffered the lossof a loved one or their job.

But how can anyone copewith those feelings of depressionand loneliness? Mental healthproviders have some advice torecommend such as settingboundaries regarding themoney spent on gifts and thenumber of social events, not toaccept any “ideal” representa-tion of Christmas that the me-

dia, institutions, or other peopletry to make people believe, tolower expectations and any at-tachment to what it should looklike, to be present and enjoyeach moment as best anybodycan, to become involved in giv-ing through charities and worth-while causes that help less for-tunate people, to be grateful forwhat we have in our lives,rather than focusing on what wedon't have, to take action andengage in activities that give uspleasure and joy and to seeChristmas as the opportunity toengage in loving kindness, gen-erosity of spirit, and gratitudefor others in our life.

The Christmas season is con-sidered a very tough time for alot of people today and the rea-son for that derives from the factthat we live in a materialisticsociety where personal and spir-itual needs have been neglected.First of all, we have to remem-ber that we are human beingswith spirit and needs, and ma-terial objects are unable to sat-isfy our soul.

Depression, the Unwelcome Holiday Guest


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Greek Salad with Herbs4 medium cucumber, diced6 large tomatoes, diced 1 large red onion, finelychopped1/2 cup Greek green olives,pitted and chopped1 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon freshly groundpepper1/2 teaspoon dried oregano4 tablespoons red wine vinegar4 tablespoons Greek extravirgin olive oil1/3 cup fresh chopped freshparsley1/3 cup fresh chopped freshdill1/2 cup crumbled feta,Dodonis or Arahovas

In a large salad bowl, toss allthe ingredients together to mixthoroughly. Serve as a side dishor vegetarian main course.

Greek Cheese Plate

Greek cheeses are a great ad-dition to the Christmas meal.You can set out a variety of yourfavorites for an appetizer or atthe end of the meal as a cheesecourse. Try the diverse regionaloptions available and the milderto sharper versions of kasseri,feta, and kefalograviera. Pair thecheeses with wonderful Greekwines and enjoy.

Christmas Desserts

Baklava

2 pounds of chopped nuts,almonds, walnuts, pistachiosor a combination2 teaspoons ground cinnamon1 teaspoon ground cloves(optional)2 pounds phyllo dough2 cups melted butterWhole cloves (optional)

For the syrup2 cups sugar2 cups water 1 cup honey1 three-inch cinnamon stick5-6 whole cloves

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice1 two-inch piece lemon peel

In a mixing bowl, stir to-gether the nuts, ground cinna-mon, and the ground cloves, ifusing. Set aside. Brush the bak-ing pan with some of the meltedbutter and line the baking panwith a sheet of phyllo dough,brush the phyllo with butter,and place another sheet on top,buttering that one, and repeat-ing until there are 5 or 6 sheetsof phyllo in the pan. Sprinklethe nut-spice mixture evenlyover the buttered phyllo sheets,then top with a sheet of phylloand brush with butter, and con-tinue until 5 phyllo sheets makeup the top layer with the top-most a nice whole one. Brushthe top layer with butter and cutinto diamond shapes or squareswith a sharp knife all the waythrough to the bottom layer.Pierce the top center of each cutpiece with a whole clove, if us-ing, and bake in a preheated350 degree oven for about anhour or until the baklava isgolden brown.

While the baklava is bakingin the oven, make the syrup.Boil the sugar and the water ina saucepan for five minutes.Add the honey, the spices,lemon juice, and lemon peel andsimmer for another 5 minutes.Keep the syrup hot. Remove thebaked baklava from the ovenand pour the syrup over it rightout of the oven. Allow the syrupto absorb and the baklava to

cool completely before serving.

Sugar Cookies

4 cups all-purpose, unbleachedflour1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt1 cup unsalted butter1 cup sugar2/3 cup Greek honey1 tablespoon pure vanillaextract1 large egg, beaten

In a mixing bowl, whisk to-

gether the flour, baking powder,and salt. Set aside. In asaucepan over medium highheat, melt the butter with thesugar and the honey, stirring un-til the sugar is dissolved. Pourinto a separate bowl and allowto cool for 5 minutes. Add thebeaten egg to the cooled buttermixture and whisk until well-combined. Add the flour mix-ture and stir just until com-bined. Divide the dough in halfand cover each half with plasticwrap and chill in the refrigera-tor for 2 hours. The dough canalso be chilled overnight if pre-ferred, just allow it to stand at

room temperature for 5-10 min-utes before rolling out. Roll eachhalf on a lightly floured worksurface to 1/8 inch thickness.Cut out shapes with cookie cut-ters and place on an ungreasedcookie sheet one inch apart andbake in a preheated 375 degreeoven for 10 minutes or until theedges of the cookies are lightlybrowned, rotating the pansabout halfway through bakingto ensure even baking. Cool onthe cookie sheet for 2 minutesthen transfer to a wire rack tocool completely.

Gingerbread People

6 tablespoons unsalted butter,softened at room temperature1/3 cup shortening

1 cup sugar1/2 cup light brown sugar1 egg1/4 cup Greek honey2 tablespoons strong coffee2 1/4 cups all-purpose,unbleached flour1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon ground ginger1/2 teaspoon groundcinnamon1/4 teaspoon freshly groundnutmeg1/4 teaspoon Greek sea saltFrosting Colored sugarCandies for decorating

In the mixing bowl of a standmixer with the paddle attach-ment, beat the butter and theshortening for 30 seconds tocombine. Add the sugar, brownsugar, and egg and beat untilfluffy. Beat in the honey and thecoffee. In a separate bowl, whisktogether the flour, baking soda,ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, andsalt. Add the flour mixture to thebutter mixture and beat untilcombined. Divide the dough inhalf, shaping each half into adisk. Wrap tightly with plasticwrap and chill until the dough iseasy to roll out, about an houror two. The dough can be chilledovernight if preferred, just allowit to thaw for 5-10 minutes atroom temperature before rollingout. On a lightly floured worksurface roll the dough to 1/4inch thickness. Cut out ginger-bread people with 4-6 inchcookie cutters or other shapes, if

preferred. A sharp knife can alsobe used to cut out gingerbreadpeople freehand, if desired. Placethe shapes on a greased cookiesheet one inch apart and bake ina preheated 350 degree oven for8-10 minutes, or until the edgesare lightly browned, rotating thepans about halfway through thebaking process. Cool for 2 min-utes on the cookie sheet, thentransfer to a wire rack to coolcompletely. Pipe frosting decora-tions onto the cookies, faces andclothes onto the gingerbreadpeople, and sprinkle with coloredsugar or add candies.

Our Favorite Recipes for ChristmasContinued from page 24


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With company gathering forholiday parties and family re-unions, a well-stocked bar cartwill help keep the festivitiesmerry. Anyone can pull togethera standard selection of bever-ages, but you can make yoursstand out by creating a Greek-inspired Christmas soiree.

First up, the bar cart. If youdon’t already own one, considerpurchasing a cart with a Greekkey design. Williams Sonoma’sGreek Key Bar Cart is a dramaticone that comes in either antique

brass or polished nickel. A moremultipurpose alternative is asmall table, and the online re-tailer One Kings Lane’s AstonGreek Key Round Side Tablenestles nicely next to armchairsand sofas. If you already haveample flat surface for your bar,a tray can also corral bottles.Overstock.com offers a varietyof trays with Greek key designs.Sticking with a metallic adds abit of glam, and you can windwhite twinkle lights or pinebranches around the frame ofthe cart, table, or tray.

Now, it’s time to stock thebar! For a unique Greek redwine, try Gaia Wine’s Agiorgi-tiko by Gaia 2015. Its herbalnotes are earthy with a flavorevocative of oregano. If you’dlike a dry white retsina, KechrisWinery’s The Tear of the Pine isan award-winning selection. Forbeer, there’s always the Greekbrands Mythos and Peiraiki.

In addition to the usual as-sortment of gins, rums, andwhiskeys, add in your favoriteGreek liquors, such as ouzo andthe Greek brandy Metaxa. Thecrowning glory of your winterholiday bar cart should berakomelo, which you can pur-chase bottled or make yourselfby adding 2 teaspoons of honeyand 1 teaspoon of spices (a mix-ture of cardamom and cinna-mon) to every 4 shots of raki.Served warm, it is a delightfulmixed drink on a cold night.

Be sure to also offer a varietyof nonalcoholic drinks, including

still and sparkling water. Givevisitors a taste of Greece withOuzon, a virgin ouzo-flavoredsoda that you can purchase inselect retailers and online. Giventhat anise is a love-it-or-hate-itflavor, you may want to haveplenty of backup sodas. If youwant a nonalcoholic alternativeto the rakomelo, create a warm-ing citrus punch: mandarins areseasonal winter fruits in theMediterranean and pair nicelywith cloves, star anise, and cin-namon, calling to mind the pop-ular Greek Christmas cookieMelomakarona. You can find a

variety of recipes to suit yourtastes online.

Take your Greek Christmasbar to the next level with theright garnishes and accessories.Consider bunching sticks of cin-namon together that can act assweet-smelling décor as well asswizzle sticks for mixing drinks.Freeze edible glitter into icecubes for a real “wow” effect.You could do red and green glit-ter for Christmas colors or evendo gold stars in honor of the starof Bethlehem the magi saw.Wilton is one popular brand foredible glitter and is available atselect drugstores and Michael’scraft store. Another option is tofreeze sections of fruit that canbe used to cool drinks.

Candied nuts, roasted chest-nuts, and dried figs in festivebowls make delicious seasonalsnacks so guests don’t drink onan empty stomach. For cocktailnapkins, consider Katy MicheleDesigns’ elegant linen napkinswith a Greek key design andyour monogram, which you canget stitched in such colors asevergreen, poinsettia, or metal-lic gold; available through Etsy.For disposable paper napkins,you may prefer the Vintage GoldGreek Meander Pattern Napkinavailable through Zazzle. Lastly,keep guests entertained withMixed Up: Cocktail Recipes (andFlash Fiction) for the DiscerningDrinker (and Reader), edited byGreek-American writer Nick Ma-matas and Molly Tanzer. As al-ways, drink responsibly.


In the midst of our Christmasshopping, it may become evi-dent that some people on ourlists already have so much itseems entirely difficult to find aunique present for them. Sure,you could present them with agift certificate to a big-box re-tailer, but if you’re looking forsomething a little more personaland a lot more Greek, here area few ideas.

For the animal lover: Strayanimals have for many yearsbeen an issue in Greece, butwith the economic crisis thereare more animals in need.Friends of the Strays of Greece,a UK-backed charity in Greece,provides vulnerable cats anddogs with shelter, food, andmedical attention. You can spon-sor them throughhttp://www.straysofgreece.org.

For the art patron: TheAcropolis Museum offers a vari-ety of gifts ranging from jewelryto home décor and toys. Thereare, for example, ties inspiredby an Attic silver tetradrachmfrom 400 BC for men and stoleswith details of ancient inscrip-tions for women. You can pur-chase them at the gift shop:http://www.theacropolismu-seum.gr/en/content/gifts-him.

For the coworker: Buyinganything too personal for col-leagues can prove tricky, sochocolate is a delicious way toshow your appreciation. NewYork-based Chocolat Moderne,founded by Greek-AmericanJoan Coukos, offers gourmet se-lections such Holiday Avant-Garde Bars in Cranberry Orangeand Gingerbread as well as aLondon Christmas Pudding boxof bon-bons. For more informa-tion, visit http://chocolatmod-erne.com.

For the foodie: A gift certifi-

cate to a local Greek restaurantis always a welcome opportu-nity for someone to enjoy a de-licious meal outside of the hus-tle and bustle of the holidayseason. Many of the more fa-mous Greek chefs have pub-lished cookbooks which makefor a keepsake the recipient canuse once they’ve used up the giftcertificate.

For the Girlboss: The Greek-American founder of the fashionretail business Nasty Gal createda bestselling memoir with#GIRLBOSS, and this year’s fol-

low-up, The Girlboss Workbook,is a quirky guide for sassy en-trepreneurs. Featuring “tips,checklists, and fill-in-the-blanks,” it guides dreamers intobecoming doers. It is availableat bookstores.

For the newest grandchild:WildAtHeartGifts offers feedingbibs and infant clothing embla-zoned with phrases such as “Ilove Yiayia and Papou” and“Koukla” on them. Availablethrough Etsy athttps://www.etsy.com/shop/WildatHeartGifts.

For the armchair traveler: Forthe first time in history, Homer’sThe Odyssey has been trans-lated into English by a woman.Emily Wilson brings the epicpoem to life in a fresh way yetstays true to matching the num-ber of lines of the original Greektext. It is available in bookstoresand online.

For the host and hostess: Cre-ate a gift basket featuring Greekspecialty products. For example,create a basket full of goodiesfor enhancing their mezze by in-cluding such treats as Kalamataolive tapenade, imported Greekhoney, and a nice bottle ofGreek wine.

For the man whose caresmore about his hair than JohnStamos’ Uncle Jesse characterdoes: Curlisto offers a range ofhair-care products made specif-ically for men, such as scalpstimulants, styling gel, andtravel sets. Created by Christo,a Cypriot who now owns a salonin New York City and has A-listand royalty clientele, Curlistoproducts can be foundatwww.curlisto.com.

For the woman who lovesnatural beauty products: Korreshas a variety of deals and kitsthis holiday season. The Greekbeauty brand was “born out ofa homeopathic pharmacy more

than 20 years ago” and uses“natural ingredients of the high-est quality” to create their skin-care line, bath and body prod-ucts, fragrances, and cosmetics.

Bonding and creating mem-ories is sometimes the best giftof all, so remember that heart-felt letters, printed photographsof time spent together, and im-promptu get-togethers forChristmas cookie baking orbuilding snowmen go a longway in making the seasonmeaningful.

A Gift Guide for Everyone on Your List

How to Stock YourHoliday Bar Cart


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Drs. Spiro & Amalia Spireasand

Sigmapharm Laboratories

Best Wishes for

A Very Merry Christmas

to you & your families

Sigmapharm Laboratories, LLC3375 Progress Drive, Bensalem - PA 19020Tel.: (215) 352-6655 - Fax: (215) 352-6644

www.sigmapharm.com

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