As Orthodox Christians, Ukrainians celebrate Christmas in early January every year, as they follow the old Julian calendar. Our neighbors always invite us over. Walter is very hospitable, and usually has guests over for three nights starting on their Christmas Eve. That night, there are usually more than 20 guests. In order to give them an opportunity to try down-home Ukrainian cooking, he always has his mother-in-law come from the province where she lives. She's in her eighties now, but she's still a great cook. For a Ukrainian Christmas celebration, there are all kinds of fish--salted, baked, and so on--but no other kind of meat. They have a sweet soup, various types of dumplings, a special type of bread, rice-stuffed vegetable wraps--all in all, there should be 12 dishes to represent the 12 apostles. As the only Chinese people present, we naturally attracted attention from the other guests, but over the years we have gotten to know all of these "Christmastime friends" and get along with them well.

Over the eight years we've been here, our neighbor Walter has brought us into the local society. He has taken us to hockey and soccer games, a talk show, the golf course, a Ukrainian wedding, and his company's year-end banquet. We have even gone to work at his company to earn some extra cash. Whenever we come across something we don't understand, we ask him and always get a clear answer--or even some good advice.

In social settings, Walter always takes the initiative to introduce us to others. He announces, "My ancestors were Mongolian," much to the surprise of everyone.

"My grandson even has the mark of Genghis Khan on his bottom," he will say, voice full of mystery. Then his four-year-old grandson will pull down his pants to show his birthmark, and Walter announces, "So I, too, am Chinese!" Everybody says his genes have mutated and he's a white Chinese. He'll even say "Ni hao, ni hao--xiexie, xiexie" to make everyone think he speaks Chinese. Everyone bursts out laughing. Then he'll mention some things about Chinese people to include us in the conversation. We feel so lucky to have such a caring neighbor to bring us into the local society!

Walter doesn't only help us in social settings. He helps us in other ways, too. He'll give our kids rides and help us manage in emergencies, like the times he's taken our kids to the emergency room when they've injured themselves skiing. He's helped us when our car was stuck in a snowbank, and when we locked the keys in the car. He's taken us treasure-hunting at a flea market. When we go back to Taiwan, he'll get the mail, pull weeds, and water the flowers for us.

Walter has helped us realize the meaning of the old saying "A far-off relative can't compare with a neighbor." When his family goes on vacation, I feel a bit insecure since in everyday life the Domytrak family is like a part of our own.

The only way we can repay them is through the sort of reciprocal giving we Chinese place so much value in. The two of them are like parents to us, so we take them out from time to time. We'll take them to a Chinese restaurant and let them practice their chopsticks skills. On Lunar New Year's Eve, we've treated them to hotpot. Walter even was thoughtful enough to bring roast duck and a red envelope for us! There aren't many like Walter. We are so thankful to have him right across the street. It's true--"A far-off relative can't compare with a neighbor."

Our Ukranian neighbor Walter (third from right) is very hospitable. In the festive season each year he never forgets to invite family and friends for Christmas dinner. Even we Taiwanese have come to feel like honorary Ukranians.