'Tis the Season

It's hard to believe how quickly Christmas came upon us.  For most of December, we struggled to believe that it was really the Christmas season.  Even with the surprising number of holiday decorations around town

and the Christmas carols (in English) playing in most stores, it was still hard to believe Christmas was coming.  Leah was convinced it wasn't the Christmas season because there was no snow but the rest of us (I believe) were simply waiting for the traditional sights and sounds we associate with this special holiday.  But celebrating any holiday in the "traditional" sense in Macau is challenging.  So, our Christmas traditions and celebrations were modified but we still felt the Christmas Spirit and enjoyed this wonderful season.

Our Christmas decorations were simple this year with a nativity and 4 stockings.

And, finally on Christmas Eve, Kyle and Cade bought a tiny, little snow-covered Christmas tree (not much bigger than Kyle's hand) complete with bows and decorations.

Macau's decorations were mostly of Santa and reindeer but we found this cool, outdoor, blue lit Christmas tree at the Venetian

and an actual, real evergreen tree at the Macau Ferry Terminal (the decorations were silly but the smell was captivating).  We stood looking at the weirdly decorated tree for a few minutes just to enjoy the smell.

In mid-December, we had a special sacrament program performed by the children and youth of our church.  The kids, a total of 12, took turns reading the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible between singing Primary songs and congregational Christmas hymns.  It was a beautiful program!  Cade played the piano for one of the songs (If The Savior Stood Beside Me) and did a fantastic job.  Abby had the tough job of being with Leah to keep her reverent and help with her part.  Knowing first hand how difficult that can be, I was impressed.  Abby will be an excellent babysitter!  And Ian, stole the show.  Not only did he sing the loudest but he was the only one to quote his scripture by memory.  After saying his part, there was an audible gasp from the audience because they were so amazed he'd memorized his scripture.

After the sacrament program, we had a special Christmas party at church.  Everyone dressed like shepherds and sat on blankets to eat a simple dinner.  

During the party, we were invited to give Jesus a gift.  Unlike the gifts the wise men brought Jesus, our gifts were to be something in our lives that we were committed to improve or change during the next month.  We wrote down our gift on a piece of paper, sealed it up, and placed it in a beautiful box.  

At the end of January, we'll have an opportunity to open our gifts and reflect on how we changed or were touched by the Spirit during the past month. 

Our Christmas Eve was filled with last minute shopping and preparations, but we ended it with a fun dinner and quality family time.  Our dinner turned into a play-with-your-food contest and I couldn't tell you who had more fun, the kids or Kyle.  But, you can be the judge and pick a winner.

     

After a silly dinner and a yummy dessert, we gathered to remember the reason for the Christmas season.  We dimmed the lights and acted out the nativity.  Cade read Luke 2 as the rest of us took on different parts. Leah was baby Jesus, Abby was Mary, Kyle was Joseph, Ian was a shepherd, and I was an angel.  Usually we only read Luke 2 but this night Kyle continued to read from Mark and we learned more about this story including the wise men's visit, Simeon's witness of the baby Jesus at the temple, Joseph taking the family to Egypt, and their return to Nazareth when it was safe.  Ian and Cade made quick character changes as they took on more roles including the wise men, Simeon, Herod, and his soldiers.  We all had a great time acting out the nativity story and remembering why we were celebrating Christmas.

Christmas day was filled with lots of fun and excitement as we opened gifts, talked with most of our family members in the US, and played games.

In the afternoon, we gathered with some church members to go caroling. 

Seeing first hand the living conditions of many of the people here was a very humbling and eye-opening experience, especially for me and the children who haven't really been exposed to it yet.  We had a good time and shared the Christmas spirit with many people.  It was a great opportunity and a memory we'll look back on for years to come.

Afterwards, we had a few friends over for an American style dinner.  We served turkey, cranberries, mashed potatoes, spinach salad, rolls, and had Apple Betty (a Kisebach family favorite) for dessert.  Of our 8 guests only 1 had ever eaten turkey before so it really was a new experience for most of them.  

We also taught them a few new card games.

Surrounding ourselves with friends really helped us to enjoy the Christmas holiday and fill the void we had from not being around our own families.  We feel extremely blessed and are especially grateful to have such wonderful family and friends.  We love you all!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

If you didn't get our Christmas card/newsletter, please give me your email address and I'll send it to you.