Around this time last year, we would be preparing for the biggest holiday week of the year in Ukraine. The air would have been filled with nothing but joy. Around a month ago I began preparing for this...party, for the lack of a better word. It was actually October when the first buds of this idea started popping in my head. For the last few months, I never really saw any of us Ukrainians have a pure moment of joy. I hated seeing everyone constantly miserable, joyless, stunned with worries, and homesick.

I was personally not happy with how much I was doing. My unacceptance with the morals and work ethics of big name charity organisations was only growing. They were nothing but a huge comical show and marketing organisations. With the help of a volunteer from a different organisation I had made a team to help people in a more tailored and personalised fashion. Yet, I found it difficult to truly distract the people from the evil that was taking place at our homes. Ah, distraction. I needed a distraction. Something to let the people, even for a few pesky hours, to be away from the burdens and sadness...to enjoy?...talk to each other and laugh! Maybe something close to home...food? A scent of home...music?

The Christmas "distraction" for Ukrainians at Almere!

I believe this was a massive success. It was not easy in any way, yet pulling it off gave me the biggest rush of joy I have felt in a long time. Seeing the babushkas sit together in a circle with a cup of tea and gossip and laugh just like they would have in Ukraine almost brought me to tears. It was an incredible view.

In the month of November, the meetings took place. I had originally planned to do it by myself, from organizing to funding, unless a better opportunity appeared. Convincing the venue that it'd not only be very philanthropic to provide the space but also a unique opportunity for marketing was a crazy idea but it worked. Getting 2 funding proposals rejected and fighting for a cheaper 3rd proposal to be approved by the municipality. "Show me another person in the entire Netherlands who can put this party together for 300 people at this price and I promise I won't bother you again." - these were the final words on the proposal email...and maybe that's when they took me seriously and sent over a representative to talk to me.

For months now I have been listening to people ask for traditional Ukrainian food, and that had become a keystone for the evening. Other than that I got 2 DJs, one of them is also a Ukrainian refugee who really appreciated the local experience he'd get from the party, and there was also security in case anything went south, a dance group, activities for children, Christmas presents, and some more activities for the adults.

As the evening was taking shape, the municipality proposed inviting Ukrainians from other locations, too. In total, we had a foot traffic of over 312 and a maximum headcount of 156.

The children were busy the entire evening either playing games, decorating the Christmas tree, drawing, and coloring, or making clay models. We had different kinds of presents depending on the age of the kids. While the start of the evening was slow and the people were still feeling very awkward, after an hour there was little space for activities...the floor was busy with the women dancing and singing. The best dancers also were given awards.

Many didn't want to leave. They wanted to stay a little longer. I had a tight schedule to meet and had to ask people to leave. At the end, I extended the evening by 30 minutes for the few remaining. The night ended with national anthems and chants for the fighters in Ukraine.

Officials from the venue and the municipality were present and helped me with coordination. A photographer was brought in for the whole evening and a local newspaper also came through for a few minutes. It could have been smoother, but that's what I get for depending on others - lesson learned...again. many things happened last minute, like putting up posters and handing out flyers, and even gifts which would have been more available and cheaper if bought earlier. Nevertheless, it was a massive success. I didn't need anything other than the ear to ear smiles to prove it to me.

For dinner, we had hot Ukrainian borsh, with a choice of mushrooms, meat, and smitana. Typical Ukrainian style. There was also sirniki, a typical Ukrainian pancake...or doughnut without the hole, with topping choices of jam, powdered sugar and smitana. And finally finger foods. Mostly inspired by Ukrainian dishes. I ended up commissioning a Ukrainian business for the food. It made sense since they'd know best how to prepare it, and it's always best to support the Ukrainian community wherever it made sense. I'd like to think that the party was pretty even but the food was clearly the highlight of the evening. It has been months since any of us has had any typical Ukrainian food, and everyone was deeply desiring it. Safe to say, everyone loved it.

The entire event was a surprise for everyone. I only mentioned it to a handful of people online and the people who needed to know. Otherwise, no Ukrainian caught a wind of it since October until the day of the event. In the end, this is what I wanted. A chance for the people to let go, even if for a few hours, and enjoy. To celebrate the holidays. To laugh and smile and dance. To feel a little like they're at home. To talk to each other about everything else. To enjoy music and food from home. To see their kids play and run around in peace.