I can’t remember a Christmas morning I’ve sweated so much in my life, but hey, this is Thailand! Yesterday marked a new Christmas Eve tradition for me: a day out at the golf course with the boys. A group of us went to the driving range and hit a few balls, and then had a friendly putting contest in the blazing sun. It’s not exactly what I’m used to, but sometimes change is nice every now and then…especially when it involves a 5 iron. Last night I got to open presents from my teammates, which was great. Adam got me some sweet shorts and Ryan had hand-wrapped candy, games, magnets, and toys and put them in stockings for us. That was the closest I’ve felt to actual Christmas. 
This morning Team X-Stream and the Liberators had a great pancake breakfast (thanks to Alecia) and then the squad met upstairs for the Christmas morning festivities. Ashley and Chelsea planned all of the Christmas events this month, and they did an AMAZING job! They told us to close our eyes, and after a couple minutes when we opened them together, before us sat a cup of hot chocolate and a letter from our families. Getting to read those letters was one of the best moments of this race so far. It meant the world to me to get to hear from my mom and dad.
We each had secret Santa buddies for Christmas, and before we revealed ourselves and gave our presents, Ashley and Chelsea had put together a slide show of superlatives for each person, followed by a picture of your family! This picture was the best part of Christmas hands down for me! I couldn’t help but get tears in my eyes seeing everybody. 
This afternoon we had a huge cookout at the lake. I grilled burgers and chicken, and we had potato salad, coleslaw, and a plethora of sweets. It completely felt like the 4th of July. Between the 95 degree heat, throwing the frisbee, eating burgers and sweating, I expected to see fireworks.
This Christmas is different; that’s for sure. Yet I’m never going to forget this day. I love you all, and truly cannot wait to spend next Christmas with you. Merry Christmas from Thailand!
