By Dina Vorgiatzidis

Tis the season to be jolly! But aside from all the shopping, gift giving, ugly sweater parties, and tree decorating what is the true meaning of Christmas? That is what these GOYAns gathered to discuss.

On December 8th, GOYAns from all over the Metropolis of New Jersey got together at St. Luke Greek Orthodox Church for the annual GOYA Retreat. They sat down with Father Christ Kontos and chatted about the true meaning of Christmas. The take-home message was that the holiday season is not about materialism but about spending time with your family as well as the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. In the spirit of the holiday season, the GOYAns took on a project for ConKerr Cancer where they sewed pillowcases for young cancer patients in over 225 hospitals across the United States, Canada, and South Africa.