Our Christmas

We thought our friends and family may wonder what we've been up to the last 48 hours for our first Christmas ever away from home....

Christmas Sunday Evening we had a Christmas celebration--carols, Bible study, Turkey dinner--with the family we worship regularly with. Christmas Eve we had language lessons as usual, and then in the evening we did a Skype video chat with Mike's family. Oh, we got our electric bill too, and our new year's resolutions involve turning appliances off, less heat, and more sweaters :).

Christmas morning the kids slept in the latest they have in awhile, I guess because we stayed up late to do the skype chat. When the kids got up we did the Christmas Story. This was the first time Matthew heard it straight from Luke, although We've been telling it all month using the Nativity or a book. He was very excited to hear Daddy reading the Bible and hear words he recognized: "Mary," "Joseph," "Baby," "No Room," "Shepherds," etc. We did Christmas presents--Matthew gave Daddy a little bottle of real maple syrup, carefully brought from the States in Mommy's suitcase. Matthew and Anna each gave eachother an xylophone, so the "music" you hear is probably coming from our apartment.

We made a big breakfast, and then spent the early afternoon exploring the lake and walking with the kids. The weather here is sunny and in the upper 50's during the day, and even though the lake is shallow and the shores are dry and brown this time of year, it was a beautiful day. The snow-capped mountains in the background are a great reminder that there is Someone bigger than us. We can't wait to see the lake in the summer, when everything is fresh and greener.

Our Christmas was very cozy like Christmas should be. While the kids napped, I made lasagna and Christmas cookies. We had some fellow ex-pats over for dinner, and then in the evening video-chatted with Becky's family. After the kids went to bed there was of course time for hot chocolate and Carpenters' by the lights of the Christmas tree.

Two things that were drastically different--it was just us and it was just us. Usually Christmas is filled with visiting, family, and presents, but this Christmas was much quieter. It was hard being away for the holiday, but there were still alot of good times. I am so thankful for my two kids and for skype!

The other sense in which it was "just us" was that when we went out and about, no one else was celebrating Christmas. A song from a cantata says "all over the world bells are ringing..." Well, this Christmas drove home the fact that in alot of places bells aren't ringing because of the Messiah's birth. But they should be...

So to all our friends and family, Merry Christmas! Rejoice, for the King has come--Immanuel, God with us!