In the days leading up to my Northern trip, I received two packages in the mail. One was a Christmas package from my parents and siblings and the other was a Christmas package from my aunt, uncle, and cousins. It was so awesome to be able to get a little bit of Christmas magic in the mail. My parents and siblings sent me tons of presents which was so lovely and kind of them. I also received homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (my favorite) along with Reese’s (my favorite). My uncle and aunt also spread the Christmas spirit with a stocking full of candy, ornaments, and my uncle’s famous, homemade chex mix. On our first night in a hotel on our northern trip, I brought out the chex mix to share, and everyone from Canada and America’s faces lit up when they saw what I had. It was something we all missed from home, so we shared a bit of the holidays thanks to my wonderful aunt and uncle.
The first night in a hotel on that trip was a magical one. After spending the first night on the bus, we were all happy to relax together. We ate (holiday themed) treats, lit a menorah to celebrate Hanukkah (even though Hanukkah was technically over by that time), and stared down at a the magic of the city from the top floor of our hotel. The city was so alive with lights and cars, yet the contrast of the darkness gave it an almost eerie feeling. Little by little, through the rest of this trip, we tried to keep the Christmas spirit alive. On our first day on the trip, we painted mugs at a ceramic factory which are to be given back to us on Christmas as a gift. We wore Christmas hats and sang Christmas songs, but in a country that doesn’t celebrate christmas, keeping the spirit alive can be a difficult task.
Sometimes it’s okay to let traditions such as these not be as strong as they would be every other year. It’s okay to embrace what’s around you and not focus on trying to make this year exactly like the others because it’s not. It’s not supposed to be. So this year I rode an elephant in December and went to gorgeous waterfalls with my friends. I went to markets and shopped in the 80 degree heat. It was atypical. December for me normally involves more snowmen, sledding, jackets, warm tea by the fire, and cookies straight out of the oven. It’s okay to miss that and to want to bring some of that here with me. To share with those around me little tokens of back home, but it’s also good to remember that I’ll have that again, but I may not have this year again. I definitely won’t have all these people in this place again, so I’ll share the time with my friends and enjoy the temple we’ll go to on Christmas Eve and do things that may not seem to Christmassy to me.
Sam
The first night in a hotel on that trip was a magical one. After spending the first night on the bus, we were all happy to relax together. We ate (holiday themed) treats, lit a menorah to celebrate Hanukkah (even though Hanukkah was technically over by that time), and stared down at a the magic of the city from the top floor of our hotel. The city was so alive with lights and cars, yet the contrast of the darkness gave it an almost eerie feeling. Little by little, through the rest of this trip, we tried to keep the Christmas spirit alive. On our first day on the trip, we painted mugs at a ceramic factory which are to be given back to us on Christmas as a gift. We wore Christmas hats and sang Christmas songs, but in a country that doesn’t celebrate christmas, keeping the spirit alive can be a difficult task.
Sometimes it’s okay to let traditions such as these not be as strong as they would be every other year. It’s okay to embrace what’s around you and not focus on trying to make this year exactly like the others because it’s not. It’s not supposed to be. So this year I rode an elephant in December and went to gorgeous waterfalls with my friends. I went to markets and shopped in the 80 degree heat. It was atypical. December for me normally involves more snowmen, sledding, jackets, warm tea by the fire, and cookies straight out of the oven. It’s okay to miss that and to want to bring some of that here with me. To share with those around me little tokens of back home, but it’s also good to remember that I’ll have that again, but I may not have this year again. I definitely won’t have all these people in this place again, so I’ll share the time with my friends and enjoy the temple we’ll go to on Christmas Eve and do things that may not seem to Christmassy to me.
Sam