This is how the Polish Christmas looks like. It the most beautiful and family Polish holiday. The Polish Christmas starts on 24th December with Christmas Eve in every house. From the very morning the preparations take place for this most joyful holiday that abounds in aromatic smells. The smells are unique and characteristic of this exceptional day of a year. Everything starts from the smell of a fresh Christmas tree. Most often it is a green spruce that is cut a few days earlier in a forest. The closer it is to the Christmas Eve, the most important day of all Christmas, the more every house smells of Christmas Eve dishes: borsch, mushrooms, dried fruit, boiled and fried carp.
As tradition says, there must be 12 dishes. None of the dishes may contain meat. The table for Christmas Eve is covered with a white tablecloth beneath with hay beneath it. On the table there is one extra place setting. It is done in case a homeless wanderer knocks on our door.  According to the tradition, nobody should be left alone on this day.
A ceremonial supper that gathers the whole family starts just after the nightfall when the first star appears in the sky. This custom explains why Christmas is also often called in Poland “star”. Before the supper starts, in many houses there is still a custom of reading an excerpt from the Gospel on the birth of Jesus Christ. Next, everyone shares the wafer which is a very thin white bread specially baked on this occasion in parishes. This custom of sharing the wafer and exchanging Christmas greetings is observed in all the houses, not only the religious ones.       
The Christmas Eve most often starts from cold starters such as carp and herring jelly. Then soups are served. Depending on a region of Poland these are mushrooms soup, borsch with ravioli specially made for this occasion, small dumplings or fish soup, a characteristic dish of Wielkopolska which is prepared from carp heads. The next dishes are fried fish and sauerkraut with mushrooms or peas. Dessert includes rice with raisins and dumplings with poppy seed. In some regions there is also dessert called “kutia”. This dish comes from the east. Its main ingredients are poppy seed, dried fruit, honey, and specially prepared grains of wheat. Finally, the dried fruit stew is served which is prepared from prunes, dried apricots, pears, and apples. Its final taste is flavoured by sugar and cinnamon.
After the supper, presents are given which is what children most await. If children are younger, Santa Claus with a bag full of presents comes to houses; if they are older, he comes so quickly that it is hard to spot him. Then the only trace that he leaves is packages under a Christmas tree. Even adults do their best to leave presents when there is nobody in a room. In this way the tradition is still kept – it is Santa Claus that brings presents and not parents!
In traditional houses the Christmas Eve evening finishes with singing carols. The most persistent ones and those who strongly observe the Christmas traditions go to a special Christmas Mass which takes place at midnight. It is then that the faithful greet the newborn Jesus.    
Christmas in Poland lasts for two days. On the first day, everyone usually rests, and on the second day guests are invited to taste a Christmas turkey and, traditionally, gingerbread, poppy seed, and fruitcakes.