I know that now is a great time for family and traditions, but I wanted to share some more stories from the field. Most of the stories I share from people and the blogs I link here are from people that are away from their families. Last year, I spent Christmas in Africa and it was unbelievable. It was extremely difficult to be away from family and all the traditions, but it was fun to mix things up.
Do They Know it’s Christmas?
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Although it’s hard to tell given my current state of affairs, it actually is Christmas here in Malawi. There’s no tree…no snow…no Santa Claus…no Rudolph…but, it’s still Christmas. Here, it’s all about Jesus. It is a pure and unadulterated celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. I guess it’s good, but man oh man, do I miss my Western Christmas. I miss the Christmas spirit that puts everyone in a good mood. I miss watching “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” at the Paradise’s “Lovely Cheese Pizza” party. I even miss going to Tysons Corner and sitting in the abysmal traffic. And of course, I miss my family and the delicious food my mom and Caroline spend hours in the kitchen preparing.
Until now, when I thought of Christmas in Africa, the only picture that came to mind was the 1984 Band Aid music video for “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” It’s an all-time classic music video featuring some exceptional British and Irish musicians with phenomenal hairdos. The song repeats the question, “do they know it’s Christmas time at all?” I have a very limited network here, but based on the people I interact with, I think the answer is absolutely “yes.” Now, will they experience a Christmas like I am accustomed to? Absolutely not (also, I think their Santa Claus, or “Father Christmas” as I’ve heard some people call him, might look slightly different than the one I grew up with…).
In my opinion, Bono has the privilege of singing the best lines in the song, “well tonight thank God it’s them instead of you/and there won’t be snow in Africa this Christmas time/the greatest gift they’ll get this year is life.” (By the way, I heard a great Bono joke while in Ireland, “What’s the difference between Bono and God? Even God doesn’t think He’s Bono.”) Back to my point, I think Bono hits the nail on the head – we should thank God for what He’s given us and that we are able have such extravagant Christmases where we overeat and spoil each other with gifts. We must be grateful for everything the Lord has provided for us. And no, I don’t think Africa (at least where I am in southern Africa) will experience a white Christmas. Finally, LIFE is the greatest gift EVER. As Ice Cube says in “It Was a Good Day”, “just waking up in the morning gotta thank God” – every morning I say a prayer of thanksgiving for another day of life because it is most definitely a gift and I certainly don’t deserve it. And I deserve eternal life in Heaven even less, but God has graciously gifted me with that, too.
We’re doing a “Secret Santa” thing, so I’ll get a couple gifts (most likely a candy bar), but it’s really not about physical/tangible gifts – it’s about the gift God gave us via Jesus Christ. Every year at the Christmas Eve service my pastor discusses the “real meaning” of Christmas, but for much of the world, the Jesus part of Christmas is just swept under the rug and the focus is on everything but Jesus. And I’m just as guilty as anyone else of getting caught up in the hype and materialism of Christmas in past years (and it’ll most likely happen in 2011 when I’m back in the USA), but this year it’s a little different and I kind of like it. It’s nice to bring it back to basics and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the King, and nothing else.
