Janosko Christmas Eve Vinše 2022

One of the many things I miss from my youth on Christmas Eve is my Dad waking me at the crack of dawn, dragging me out of my warm bed and shuttling me off, in the subarctic weather that Pittsburgh is famous for, to his childhood neighborhood, Ravine Street, to speak words in a foreign tongue to people I didn't know...who would in turn give me a crisp five dollar bill!
To those of you who never did this, (and to my knowledge only three people in the history of our planet ever did, myself, Robert Janosko and Rick Janosko) this is the Slovak tradition of vinšing. Dad learned the Slovakian Christmas Greeting in grade school and went up and down his neighborhood with his brother every Christmas Eve, visiting their neighbors and presenting the vinš. This visit served a secondary purpose, for, according to Slovak tradition, it is good luck for a man to be the first to visit a household on Christmas Eve morning.
About a week before my 7th Christmas Eve, Dad told me I was going to be doing this and I'm sure that I stared blankly back at him, for even my young mind realized that this meant a lot less sleep that Christmas Eve. He taught me the proper pronunciations and whisked me off to uphold tradition. I recall at the end of it, I thought, "Well, I'll never have to do that again"! But low and behold, I was wrong! Ever Christmas Eve that followed, I was ushered out of the house before the sun rose for my yearly encore! After about 5 years of doing this, I began to appreciate bringing joy to Dad's old neighbors and cared less about the profit I was making (though I still graciously accepted it)!
Today, I miss traveling door to door on Ravine Street, as well as other Munhall location with my father, smelling the wonderful aroma of mushroom soup and bobalki (Bread Balls with Poppyseed and Honey) being prepared for Christmas Eve Dinner and delivering the Christmas greeting of my ancestors. However, here I have done the next best thing, and have recorded the message for you to enjoy (and for all you ladies out there who watch this before noon today, consider it a personal visit from me and enjoy the luck)! Veselé Vánoce!
P.S. Please don't ask me what I'm saying. I know Dad told me I was wishing the recipient a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year but still for all I know I could be calling your mother a variety of colorful names!