Christmas

12/27/07



It's all been kind of surreal. I am not sure if it happened or what. It was a glimpse of what every Christmas in the past has been, but it's been so different. Is it maybe a good thing to have experienced it in a new light without the standard traditions and events that we sometimes misconstrue to "make" the holiday? That doesn't make missing those events and that time with the family any easier though.



It was quite different, but at the same time, some things were pleasantly similar…At seven o'clock on Christmas Eve I was sitting in a dimly lit room watching a candle lighting service (not at the service in a sanctuary, but similar). On Christmas morning I went upstairs and ate scrambled eggs, blueberry muffins, and two pieces of bacon (not eaten at my Grandmother's/my house, but very very similar). I then read the Christmas story and opened presents with "family" members (not real family members, but my sisters here in China). And after opening presents I spoke with my family in the states (Abby found baby J, for those of you familiar with my family's Christmas traditions. I let my dad take my place this year, a giant controversy in and of itself, but I got to pick the hiding place-the freezer, maybe a little insensitive, but so was the manger and they say it was a cold night, so I figure it's historically accurate. But Abby had given up searching, was eating pie in the kitchen, and randomly spotted the star on the fridge. It was the longest indoor search in family history.) After that conversation I went over to my friend's home, a British family-the husband teaches at my university, and celebrated Christmas in true British fashion. We went over about midday (a highly disputed word, but in British terms it strictly means noon) and we had a very large lunch, played games, sang carols, and just relaxed. It was a great day. A lot of the people I have become close with since I have arrived were there and the family's hospitality is unrivaled. There is no way you can't feel at home when you visit their home. It was great, I learned about many British Christmas traditions (tea rings and crackers, for example) and I wrestled a lot with their young children-who I also tried convincing at every possible opportunity that the U.S. was better than England, just to get a rise out of their mother who jokes about her fears that her children will be made fun of by the other kids when they return to England next year because they have spent too much time with Americans. Great food, great company, a great focus on the reason for the season, it was a very good day.



Things back home went well too. There was a family memory time for my Grandma that I was told went very well. That's all kind of surreal too. I know it is different back home and at times it has hit me, but I don't think there will be anyway to truly grasp that until I am home and she isn't there.



But that was my Christmas. Overall, it was as good as it could have been for being on the other side of the world and it being my first Christmas away from home. I am going to celebrate New Year's with some of the same friends, which I am excited about. And right now I am busy planning my trip to SE Asia. Rough outline is 20 days in Vietnam, 6 days in Cambodia, 10 days in Thailand, then on to Hong Kong for a conference and hopefully to see a friend from Seattle. I am done with classes, which is great. I have been reading a lot too. Working on one by N.T. Wright, it's good stuff.