Christmas Celebration

I’ll talk a bit about how I celebrate Christmas. Even if it isn’t Christmas just yet, it’s only five days away. First of all as Christians we celebrate Christmas focusing mostly on the “Christ” part of Christmas. I was told when I was very young that Santa Claus did not exist. Nor did his home on the North Pole, I mean I know the North Pole exists but it isn’t where Santa has his reindeer, elves, and house. My parents taught me the meaning of Christmas when I was little and I’ve heard the story about a million times. My mom even created a book with Bible scripture about Jesus’ birth, why we celebrate Christmas. We read that book every Christmas for as long as I can remember. I love that book! We never had a Christmas tree or lights or any decorations until about three to four years ago. We now have a tree, lights, and a few decorations. We have a tradition every Christmas morning of my mom cooking coffee cake and putting a candle in it, we’ll sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and then blow the candle out. After we eat, we’ll read the book and then open our presents. We’ll then spend the day using our presents and chilling out.

                As an MK, Christmas has been a bit different for the past, almost, seven years. We don’t have snow and it isn’t nearly as cold as it would be in the United States. It does get chilly but there isn’t frost or anything that cold. In all the movies it always shows people playing in the snow when it is Christmas time, yet I know several Hondurans who have never seen snow. Snow does not equal Christmas. We still see lights up here in Honduras but not nearly as many or as extravagant as in the States. Also, because we live so far away we haven’t been back to the States for Christmas in all the years we’ve lived here. It’s very expensive to travel to the States in general at this time of year, even more for six people, plus it’s such a short time. We have to find other ways to celebrate like we used to do in the States. In the States we would spend one year with my grandparents and other family on my mom’s side and the next year with my other grandparents and family on my dad’s side. We would have big parties on Christmas Eve but still have our little Christmas with only us six on Christmas Day.We’d eat a lot of food both days and play in the snow and give presents to each other. Now we can’t do that since all our family is several miles away. The last two or three years we went to one of my close friend’s on Christmas Eve and had a big dinner with our church family. But they recently moved and we’re figuring out what we’ll do instead. I think we’ll have a small dinner with some friends that stayed in the country for the holidays. On Christmas Day we resort to having a big lunch and doing nothing all day, just us six. We tried having a party on Christmas Day with friends but it was a lot of work, so we said it was more fun to just do nothing.

                I love spending Christmas with my family. I love reading the book and eating coffee cake and eating a big lunch. I love opening presents that I know they thought of me when they bought them or made them. I love doing nothing all day. I may not get an iPhone or a new TV for Christmas; instead I have wonderful family time. I’m blessed to have such an awesome family. I’ll miss them something awful when I go to college, maybe I’ll make it back for Christmas. Christmas is a time for family, God included; it is not about the presents or even the food. It’s time for people to stop thinking about what they get for Christmas from their friends and family but the Ultimate Present from God: Jesus.

                Merry Christmas, until next time!