The buckle seat-belt sign chimes on as the stewardess’ make the final check before landing. Michael Buble’s version of Holly Jolly Christmas plays on my Ipod from a playlist of 245 Christmas songs. Looking out the tiny window I see puffy cumulous clouds ready to engulf the plane.
Hey, it looks like piles of freshly fallen snow!
A wave of sadness comes over me knowing that when the plane lands so lands December 1. Christmas season. The first Christmas that I wouldn’t be surrounded by family and friends from home. And snow. Ah snow. I never realized how much I would miss something I despised for so long. A white Christmas makes all the difference. We were landing in a Muslim country, and a tropical Muslim country at that. Why did we have to be in some place like this for Christmas? No snow. No Christmas.
It’s funny how some days God just blows my mind, and expectations, right out of the water.
We landed, took a bus to our hostel and went to sleep. Still no Christmas. It just wasn’t coming this year. To say I’m a Christmas fanatic is an understatement. I love everything about Christmas. Giving gifts. Trees. Lights. Family. Food. Garland. Peppermint. Everything. Yes, Christmas would live on in the true meaning of our Savior’s birth and being with my new family but boy, would I miss my family and all the extraneous things as silly as that sounds.
That night as I lay on my non-Christmasy bed, in my non-Christmasy room, in my non-Christmasy hostel, I prayed that God would bless me with even just a little Christmas. Maybe just one little Christmas tree. Maybe hear one peep of a Christmas song in public. Something small. Anything.
It’s funny how some days God just blows my mind, and expectations, right out of the water.
Disney’s Frozen had just been released so a few of us Disney fanatics decided to see it as the first thing we’d do in Kuala Lumpur. A New York size city at our disposal and we choose a movie. As our free bus pulled up to the 6 story mall (full of stores like Tiffany’s, Levi, and Coach) we were met with one of the prettiest and most impressive Christmas displays I’ve seen. Yes Michigan people, it rivaled Bronners Christmas Wonderland. Lights everywhere. Towering, twinkling Christmas trees. Santa’s ruby red sleigh. Christmas music. And it was snowing! Wait. Snowing? It’s 80 degrees, how is it snowing? Sure enough, soapy fake snow was falling from the ceiling of the mall. So of course, we had to dance in it and sing.
My heart was soaring. Malaysia had Christmas. And more Christmas than I had even seen in America. Every store window was decked out. All over downtown were Christmas trees and Christmas displays – albeit no sign of the real reason for Christmas, which is sad. I went to Starbucks and was met with the smell of peppermint. Christmas in a cup! My favorite holiday drink that I knew for sure I’d have to miss out on this year. I’ve since had about 5. Or 20.
What I’m getting at is that God cares about the little things. He knew a bunch of homesick World Racers would be in Malaysia for Christmas. He knew how we were feeling and then he blessed our socks off with more Christmas than we could ever hope for. I know it seems silly but to us it means the world.
A few nights ago the owner of our hostel asked if we’d like to decorate their Christmas tree and deck out the lobby. I never in my wildest dreams would’ve imagined I’d get to put up a tree this year but there we were decorating a tree while listening to Christmas music. Just like home.
It’s all the little things. God cares about them all. My heart and soul are absolutely soaring right now. For something as seemingly little as seeing Christmas decorations and drinking a peppermint mocha – of which I am currently partaking of – has rejuvenated me. God knew it would. I prayed for it. He blessed me with it.
Have you ever thought that something you wanted to ask God was too small? That it wasn’t worth His while? Well it is. And He truly cares about the smallest details. I know, because He gave me a Malaysian Christmas.
