On Christmas eve, New Hope School was buzzing with excitement as children exchanged gifts with each other and prepared for the Christmas assembly. The whole school (2 year olds, 3 year olds, 4 year olds, first grade, second grade,third grade) gathered in the sanctuary for a special Christmas assembly. We sang Christmas songs and the third graders peformed a play about Jesus being born. The kids sang happy birthday to Jesus and they also received cake. They were of course very happy!
Josh and I celebrated Christmas at Matt and Nary McCullough's home. We went over to their house on Christmas eve, slept over and spent Christmas day with their family. It was cute seeing their daughters Miriam and Rachel open their gifts in front of a web cam, where Matt's mom was watching from Canada. Josh and I helped cook the Christmas lunch which consisted of: a huge turkey stuffed with rice, potato stuffing, peas, marshmallow salad and sweet potatoes.
In the evening, Josh and I returned to New Life in Christ church where we had dinner with Pastor Keat and Sally and their staff. We gathered on the highest floor of the church which is under construction and has just received a roof. We sang songs and ate a Cambodian meal of: papaya salad, vegetable pastries, mango slices, corn, brownies and sweet potatoes.
It was not a usual Christmas of course. It was completely different from the kind of Christmas that Josh and I would have celebrated in Canada, but it was good. It was our first Christmas as a married couple and away from home.

    Here in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, there is no snow blowing in the air, but there is a lot of dust. Trees are not adorned with tiny colourful lights, Santa Claus does not have his own kingdom in the mall, and Christmas songs are sang only in church. In Canada, whether it was on purpose or not, you were aware of how many days were left until Christmas. In a Buddhist nation, Christmas exists only for the Christians. The many unbelievers here know that Christmas is something that is celebrated in the west, so some stores do sell Christmas decorations, but it is not acknowledged as a real holiday in Cambodia. Schools are open, businesses are open;it is just another day.
    Christmas is my favourite holiday. I think it is a cozy time of the year where family time is much desired. I think that fresh cookies smell like Christmas and fresh snow looks like Christmas. If you are with my family on this holiday, Christmas might also look like my Dad washing the turkey in the sink and making it sing in a high, shrilly voice, all in the name of 'tradition'.
    I think this is the first Christmas that I haven't heard that girl sing in a voice that is so nasally "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas..." I have not seen one picture of Santa, although the girls in my Bible study were asking me about 'who Santa is' and 'why would North America celebrate about him'. I explained but it did not make sense to them, because it does not make sense anyway. As much as I have enjoyed Christmas in North America, I don't feel disappointed about being eased from the pressures of it.
         The meaning of Christmas is precious: our saviour coming to this wicked world, born humbly in a barn as an innocent baby. I think we should enjoy this revelation of Jesus everyday. Without Jesus, our lives would be full of regret and pain. Without Jesus, we would not be a child of God, able to know His heart and His love. Without Jesus, we become our own gods and yet we serve other gods, hoping that in the end the good that we do will be a longer list than the wrong that we've done. Jesus has put our name on His list, and all He has done is good. And then comes the meaning of Easter, Our old sinful selves died with Jesus on the cross and our new clean selves rose with Jesus from the grave. The meaning of these holidays are so powerful, and I think everyday as followers of Christ, need to live like we really and truly believe in these meanings.
    During the Saturday youth program, New Life in Christ Church celebrated Christmas by showing a scene from 'Passion of the Christ', traditional Khmer dancing, hip-hop, and Christmas songs. There were also testimonies from two of the youth, and Sally Kove preached. Following the service, all of the youth were given bags of iodized salt, muffins and some kind of white drink. The night continued with a dance which included songs like 'one way Jesus' and 'waves of mercy'. The next morning in the Sunday church service, there was a short drama about Jesus being born, along with more Khmer dancing and testimonies.
    In the New Hope school there are miniature Christmas trees in every room and a big, lit up tree in the sanctuary. People are wishing each other a 'Suslay Noel' or a 'Happy merry Christmas'! The church and school staff are having a holiday on Thursday and Friday, so the New Hope School including the evening English classes will be closed.
    Our friends Matt and Nary have invited Josh and I to their house on Christmas eve, where we will spend the night and then of course, be there on Christmas day to celebrate with their family. I look forward to being amused by Matt and Nary's young daughters Miriam and Rachel, and also to lending a hand in the kitchen.
    Early Friday morning, Josh and I are getting on a bus and will travel 5 hours to Siem Reap. We are taking a 3 day vacation in Siem Reap, where we will tour the famous Angkor Wat, which is perhaps the biggest religious structure standing today. We have recently been even more busy than normal, because we were creating handbooks for short-term,mid-term and long-term missionaries as well as applications and references for the church website. We have enjoyed this work and we have completed it in joy, but a little vacation will be very sweet.