Christmas fell on a Thursday this year so I took today off to make an extra long weekend. Since we were working on Wednesday we started early with the budni vecher preparations -- I started the dough for the pitka on Tuesday night. When the Zanes arrived around 7.00 pm we had the table ready.

We had a great budni vecher although sadly some of our guests couldn't make it. The coins fell to Jonathan and to Sasha, a lucky sign. We made kadaif for the first time, that recipe needs some more work. But the zele surmichki were absolutely excellent and we had nice stuffed peppers with beans. Irena brought grape leaf surmichki and for dessert butternut squash with apples.

Nora was delighted to see Julian and Ilana again and they had a great evening together. Her English is getting better.

Tonight we got together with our neighbors for a round of Christmas caroling.

It was cold out but we had a nice time before dinner -- singing and talking and eating some cookies.

I greatly enjoyed the singing and aside from a little confusion with "Oh Christmas Tree" I think we did a fine job. Nora shook her Christmas bells.

On Sunday we bought our Christmas tree and put the lights up, and Monday night we put the ornaments in.

This is the first year that Nora helped with the decorations. Which means there is a little spot at the bottom of the tree where she many decorations close to each other.

Another change we made compared to last year was that I brought a measurement tape to the place where they sold the trees. Last year we got an 8 foot tree -- not a good fit for our 8 foot ceilings and I had to cut off a chunk to make it fit in the living room. This year we have a 7 foot tree and that obviously worked much better.

Yes, yes, indeed. Дядо Мраз -- the Bulgarian name we use for Santa Claus -- was in Clarendon and he speaks English.

We had brunch at the Boulevard Woodgrill and then we went to the Clarendon Commons where we saw Santa Claus and a Snowman and we met Rado and Maria there also.

Дядо Мраз asked Nora: "What do you want for Christmas?" but she didn't really know what to say.

So Sinterklaas speaks Dutch and English, and Дядо Мраз speaks Bulgarian and English.

Holland's Best, a Dutch grocery store and bakery in San Jose, California, will be closing its doors for good by the end of the 2014.

In a letter posted on the website owner Klaas Mensonides explains that the lease of the building will not be renewed and that the store has to be empty by mid-January.

For 28 years, I felt more like a steward for the bakery keeping to its tradition. I bake all our cookies and pastries from the old and frayed recipe cards handed down decades ago by the original owner. For this Holiday Season, come stroll down memory lane for a final time at the bakery to enjoy our delicious almond cookies and pastries.

We feel rather nostalgic looking back through the years we have been of service to you. For having made us a part of your experience, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts

The business started in the 1940's as the "Holland Pastry and Gift Shop".