We all have different Christmas traditions. Whether it be big feasts, family gatherings, or silly gag gifts; we all have them and cherish them. This year was a new Christmas to me and actually it didn’t quite feel like Christmas at all, but nonetheless it was very interesting.
We had to be at the church all day on Christmas so we decided to celebrate on Christmas Eve. On the 23rd, we gathered around my teammate Kyle’s laptop and watched Elf, which I had never seen so that in itself was new and I must admit that I loved it. On Christmas Eve, we woke up and exchanged small gifts; I got an African necklace and some chocolate (but chocolate is very much a delicacy here so it was very exciting). We found a small Christmas tree, so we put some lights and little ornaments around it, just as a little reminder of the Christmas spirit. We spent a lot of the day cooking and feasting. For breakfast we had French toast with powdered sugar, lunch was vegetable skewers and chapatti (tortilla-like bread) and for dinner we had mashed potatoes, beans and corn fritters. The best part of the day was when we were visited by a few of the girls who live at the orphanage. We sat in the grass and shared stories and laughed with them. It was a sweet gift from God and a good reminder to us of the joy of being here since all of us were feeling a little homesick from being so far away during the holidays (that story is in my blog “Cinderella” if you want to hear it in detail). It was a simple celebration, but we laughed a lot and enjoyed putting all of our Christmas traditions together within our limited resources and 80 degree weather.
On Christmas morning, we went to the church where there was dancing, singing, dancing singing and after that we danced and sang some more. My teammate Cherise has a tradition with her family of telling the Christmas story through a series of carols and Bible verses, so we shared that with the congregation. We also had a couple of skits that we put together, my teammate Kyle sang “O Come Emmanuel”, and then another one of my teammates Kathleen preached the word to all those who could hear. After closing the service with Communion, we handed out candy to the children in the community. Just picture this for one moment: 100 kids who are lucky to get even one meal a day, much less candy, lining up to receive their “sweets”. You can probably imagine that forming a single file line was not an easy task. We then sat down and were served a traditional African lunch: rice, greens/cabbage, chapatti, and a little bit of beef chunks in soup sauce. One thing you have to realize is that they think that Americans eat an unrealistically large amount of food. Every time we have been served lunch, we are given enough to feed about 20 or 30 people and there are 11 of us. This instance was no different and so we ate and ate until we couldn’t fit another grain of rice in our bodies. After lunch, I went to visit my friends in the kitchen and we eventually joined the group in yet another dance party. Can I just point out that these people live to dance and sing and they never get tired . . . EVER! Afterwards, we were all pretty tired, so we just hung out and enjoyed each other’s company at home. It was different, but I can honestly say that it is a Christmas that I will never forget.
I hope that your holidays brought great joy and that you were able to enjoy the company of your closest friends and family. I also pray that in this crazy time of chaos that is the holidays, you were able to remember that this season is not about traditions, gifts and fancy lights; it’s about spreading and sharing the love and joy that came from the miracle that is the birth of Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
