EI Christmas Party 2004 in
New York Palace Russian restaurant

voted the best party of the year

The restaurant was packed. More than 300 Russians gathered under one roof for Christmas celebration in New York Palace restaurant in Baltimore. A dozen of singers had been changing one another on the stage. Their performance of Russian, Georgian, Ukrainian and even American songs and dance music was interrupted only by little Christmas and New Year's Eve skits and theatrical shows.

Everybody enjoyed when one of EI ladies, Alyona Volovik called the audience to participate in winning the prizes. Another EI lady was on the team creating a better and faster drawing. Each participant was working on a drawing of the rooster (after all, 2005 is the year of Red Rooster, according to the Chinese calendar) without knowing it. Each team was given the list of words corresponding to different body parts of the rooster to draw on a sheet of paper. Our team lost, so I don't have the picture of their drawing included in the slide show.

Three EI clients had a special reason to celebrate Christmas with us. This was their fist Christmas with their Yaroslavl fiancees who had arrived in the USA earlier this month. Danny and Maria, Richie and Yaroslava and Steve and Galina, may your whole life together will be as happy and full of fun as this Christmas Day!

For Oksana Calabrese this Christmas party was a sort of a farewell party as well. She is moving to New York City to work as a professional model. Look at her picture taken at the party. It might very well be one of the last pictures before you see her on the cover of New York magazines.

Christmas is the best time of the year for families to be together. It was nice to see Robert and Olga's family of five people at the party. My son Alex came from New York to join me and his brother Michael for Christmas celebration in the restaurant. Alex's art exhibition that is scheduled to open in Manhattan this summer calls for a party in New York! Please check the schedule of EI socials often.