Olena Balkashynova credits her son, Ivan, who was studying at university in Manitoba, with saving her and her daughter, Maria. He would not stop texting her for three weeks to get out of Ukraine, saying Russian invasion was imminent. When the invasion came Feb. 24, 2022, he again, texted her at 4:30 a.m. Olena and Maria grabbed what they could and left their home in Kiev and their country. Shortly after, the roadways and border crossings were so clogged, many could not get out.

At 47, Balkashynova is old enough to remember living under Soviet rule as part of the USSR, the breakup of the Soviet states in 1991, the creation of the country of Ukraine that same year, and now the Russian invasion.

That life experience tempers her celebrations of Christmas but also makes her appreciate being able to celebrate with her 22-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter. Because of the war, she lost everything, her business, their home, and most of their possessions but is safe in Canada and has cherished memories of the holidays.

"When I say Christmas what comes to mind for you for me it's smiling people, it's decoration, it's people who are not busy with their work and their occupation that they have like free time they can spend time with their families and friends," she noted. "So in Ukraine Christmas is when people have like community parties on the streets. They walk, they sing, they smile, and they enjoy the time, and I think it's like very exaggerated in Ukraine, because before the Christmas, people are fasting for 40 days so they don't eat meat [and other foods, as well as alcohol]."

Food is an integral part of Christmas in every culture but the foods of Ukrainian celebrations on Christmas Eve are unique – meatless save for herring. There's a special fruit compote, a savoury wheat porridge, borsch, mushroom soup, and gravy, sauerkraut, and of course, perogies.

"On Christmas Eve we have 12 fast dishes, and the next day people can like start eating eggs, cheese, meat [and can] drink alcohol, so and like."

She said many Ukrainians are devout, considering Christmas and Easter as the most important holidays of the year, and most fast for 40 days leading up to those holidays. She remembers as a small girl going with her family to the village where her grandmother lived and visiting a small church that was there at Christmas and Easter, despite the threat of punishment from the authorities.

Many attend church, although she noted that when it was part of the USSR, church attendance and open religious worship were banned "so people believes in God but they did that secretly," Balkashynova said. 

Since Ukraine gained its independence, the people were given the choice of when to celebrate Christmas. Some chose to start a new tradition and celebrate Dec. 24 and 25. Under the Orthodox calendar, Christmas was two weeks after.

Once Ukraine gained its independence, citizens wanted to learn about the world that had been denied them for decades. She noted that many travelled to India to learn about that culture. They also excelled at IT and computer technology, and the arts and culture flourished.

"After the Soviet Union we realized that we are so so far from normal level of life and we are so not developed in many areas of life so we started to move very quickly," Balkashynova explained.

Balkashynova arrived in Canada in 2022 and hasn't been exposed to many of Canadian Christmas traditions, outside of some workplace activities. During the holidays, she tends to hibernate at home with her kids.

She works for the 91Ô­´´ School District as a settlement worker but also uses those skills with Ukrainians throughout the region who call on her for help in her off hours.

Balkashynova noted that it's coming up on three years since the war and the government programs allowing Ukrainians to stay in Canada are coming to an end. That has her and other Ukrainians living here concerned about their futures. Many would like to make their life in Canada. Her daughter wants to go to post-secondary but isn't able to afford the international fees she would face. Extensions on work permits are impacted, and the path to become a permanent resident is harder for them. The big fear for many is that they may have to return to Ukraine while there's a war raging.

"Nobody knows what future we have," she commented.

For all of Canada's faults, it's still a country she believes can teach the world important lessons.

"The experience Canada has is very important for humanity," she noted.

She had never encountered so many people from so many different cultures living in the same communities.

"When I came to Canada, the first impression was the diversity… and people are so tolerant of each other," Balkashynova said. "My first thought is if all people in the world lived like Canadians, there wouldn't be any war."