I've been getting the feeling that Christmas has come WAY sooner than normal this year. Christmas music has been playing faithfully in most stores, homes, and businesses even before Thanksgiving was over. It's now time for Christmas movies on TV and along with that, many commercials telling you what to buy everyone this Holiday Season. Peoples homes are already decked with lights, blow up penguins and snowmen. (This is true in my neighborhood.) Everyone else is posting photos of their christmas trees online and holiday recipes. Maybe the reason people in Florida are gearing up early this year is because the weather has been super nice. It actually feels like Christmas. But……..IT'S ONLY DECEMBER 1ST!!!
I'm really not complaining though. I LOVE this time of year. If it happens to come early, it's really alright with me.
This season has brought back a lot of memories to me though. Sweet memories from my first Christmas that I spent away from home and family. My Christmas in Africa. I've been thinking a lot about the similarities and differences between Christmas here in the States and Christmas there. Well first of all, let's take a closer look at our tree. The normal staple for Christmas here in the states.
Pretty spectacular isn't it. It almost looks like something out of a Doctor Suess story. That was our Christmas tree in Africa. It took a lot of us Americans begging to actually get this to happen. If I remember correctly, this is not even a tree. Actually it's more of a tree limb that one of the Ugandan locals chopped down. It took a lot of work to actually get it shaped up and looking somewhat presentable.
Another interesting thing that I found out was that instead of decorating with lights, Africans liked to decorate with balloons. We came home from our projects one day to find our tree completely covered in balloons. Yes, it reminded me of a birthday party.
It was amazing and life changing to spend Christmas is a very unmaterialistic setting for a year. It definitely changed my perspective on what I find important about the holiday now. We spent several days in the village on the days leading up to Christmas, telling the Christmas story to locals in huts and giving them necessities for the holiday. Rice, beans, sugar, salt, etc.
(This is one of the families we visited…notice the balloons in the background.)Ugandan and Kenyan families alike go to church on Christmas day. That's just what they do. Some families even do an overnight prayer service from Christmas Eve to Christmas day. How different from how we view the holiday. Most churches here would just cancel services if Christmas happened to fall on a Sunday. Needless to say I learned a lot that Christmas.
So while the hype and excitment is great and very much okay. I think we still need a balance and a reality check sometimes. Instead of focusing on the STUFF surrounding Christmas this year, I want to make my focus others and the real meaning behind the holiday. Why not make this Christmas different!
I'm super excited to spend Christmas in another different country next year on The World Race and see how they practice the holiday. Maybe I can learn some more tips.
