Christmas at School

by Amy

The last few years at Christmas time I've gone to my kids' preschool to teach the Christmas story.  But, this year, I don't have any preschoolers!  So, I asked the teachers at the elementary school if Brad and I could come to our kids' classes to share about why our family celebrates Christmas.  They seemed to think it was a bit of a strange request, but they were willing to oblige.  So, on Christmas Eve morning, we packed up 140 cookies and 140 coloring books, bundled up, and walked to school.  The kids seemed really excited to see us!

We went to Peter and Alex's class first, then up to Savannah's.  We spent about 30 minutes in each class.

This is Peter and Alex's class.  Can you imagine the classroom management challenges that come with having over 60 kids in one class?!?!

Since Brad had just done Christmas parties with his students at our English school the week before, (and because he's awesome) he was willing to take the lead in teaching!  First we went over new vocab with the kids.  Since this story is unfamiliar here, he was not only introducing the kids to new English words, but also new words in their local language.  So, that led to the kids repeating both the English and Asianese words after Brad.  It was pretty cute.  Then, we gave each child a coloring book and read a simple version of the Christmas story with them.  (Brad read English and their teacher read it in the local language.)

This is Savannah's class.  I think it's sweet to seem them focusing so intently on the story.  

Next we taught the kids how to sing Go Tell It On The Mountain, complete with hand motions and all!  Finally, we wrapped up the class with giving each kid a Christmas cookie. The following week Savannah came home saying that all of her friends kept on asking if her mom would bake more cookies, so I guess they liked them.

What a sweet privilege we had getting to share this story with over 180* kids and teachers, many of whom thought Christmas was only about Santa Claus!

Where's Waldo, I mean Savannah?  Can you find her in this pic?

* I said 180 people, because we also had the opportunity to step into another first grade class and teach them the same story and song while we were waiting for Savannah's class to finish their lessons.  Too bad we didn't have enough coloring books and cookies to give to them as well.      

Party Logistics

by Amy

Ok, so this post is written more for my benefit than yours.  Since I'll be in the States next Christmas, I won't be hosting parties like this until December of 2012.  And, I'm sad to admit this, but my memory is fading.  I don't trust that I'll remember what I did this year, but if I write about it here, there's a good chance I'll come back and read it.  So, feel free to skip over this post!  I won't be offended!

Although we had over 75 locals in our home over a period of 5 days, I made a few intentional decisions that helped it go smoothly.  First of all, when it came to food, I baked early, I baked simply, and I baked small!  Christmas cookies freeze beautifully, so I didn't feel like baking early compromised the taste.  And, I decided this year I was going to only bake two kinds of Christmas cookies: Sugar cookies and mint chocolate cookies. And, I made them SMALL!  So small, in fact, that for the chocolate cookies we used my cookie dough scoop and broke each scoop into two small balls of dough and could place 24 on my cookie sheet.  Locals aren't crazy about sweets, but they'll usually try whatever I put out, so small is great.  My sugar cookie dough, I made into slice & bake logs, and froze them for easy slicing.  Each batch produced well over 100 cookies.  So, when my helpers got hungry, they could swipe a cookie or two without making a dent in our productivity.  Also, I was more concerned about my kids having fun in helping me than I was about the final product.  Clashing icing colors and sprinkles isn't a big deal -- if they liked it, I was fine with it!

I also decided to use a box of cake mix to make mini-chocolate cupcakes.  I don't usually like to use imported goods when I serve locals for two reasons: 1. Imported goods are expensive and/or hard to find.  My local friends don't know what chocolate cake is supposed to taste like, so they're just as happy with a homemade version (that isn't as tasty) as they are with the cake mix doctored version.  2. My local friends can't reproduce it.  I love to feed them things that they like and could make with local ingredients.  If they want me to, I'll teach them how to make it!  But, for this Christmas season, I set my reasons aside.  Cake mix freezes beautifully, and is good, reliable, predictable and FAST!  (And I had several boxes Brad found our our local eBay for less than $1.50.)  So, mini-cupcakes (un-iced) made all my parties this year.

The other reason my parties went smoothly was that I had a plan that I could use each time....  I picked portions of the story to read, found songs to sing in between the readings (in both the local language and English), I asked someone to share a testimony, and had two games that helped reinforce the story.  This party could be tailored to any audience - adults or college students, English speakers or non-English speakers.  Furthermore, my kids were included in not only the prep but also in the party itself.  They were time keepers, judges, artists, and even soloist throughout the event!  Our guest loved having them around; they enjoyed it, and it helped me a ton!  (Just think what they'll be able to do in two years when we're doing this again!)

So, apart from the Lord's sweet grace, I think this is why our parties went well, were relatively low stress, and  all around enjoyable.

 

More Christmas Parties

by Amy

Everyday when I go pick my kids up from school, I stand in an alley with about 6-8 other stay-at-home moms, waiting for the kids to be dismissed.  I guess it's like a chaotic carpool line, minus the cars....  Anyway....  these moms are always curious about my American ways, namely: why my kids and I shower so often and wear so few layers in the winter; what kind of food I can bake and why my kids obey when I tell them to do something.  Needless to say, we've had quite a few interesting conversations!  So, this Christmas I invited "my ladies" to my home for a party while our kids were at school.  I decided to make this a kid-free party thinking that we would all be more relaxed if we weren't worrying about the kids running all over my house.  Plus, if the moms were focused on their kid, then they couldn't focus on what I wanted to share: why I celebrate Christmas.

So, the morning of the party, I set out all sorts of baked goodies and made some hot apple cider and pot of coffee.  One woman arrived 10 minutes early, the rest (5 more) came together fashionable 10 minutes late.  So, after taking a tour of my home and marveling over the fact that I allow my 6 and 8 year olds to sleep on top-bunks, all alone, the party officially began!  Thankfully, Leigh (who also chats with these ladies when she picks my kids up from school) was by my side the whole time!  I was able to share why we celebrate Christmas, and Leigh shared how this Baby born 2000 years ago has changed her life.  What a precious story!  Then, I had them each read a section of the Christmas story from The Book and taught them a couple of Christmas songs.

After that, I had them divide into two teams and play a version of pictionary where they had to draw pictures of words that came right out of the story, ie- manger, angel, Mary, Son, Joseph, shepherd, flock of sheep, etc.  They were a little timid to begin with, but soon, the room was filled with laughter and hollering! Finally, I gave each team a set of 6 pictures from a coloring book that my kids had colored, representing the Christmas story .  I asked them to put them in the correct order and retell the story.  It took each team over five minutes to put them in order!  (My kids are so familiar with this story they could do it in 20 seconds.)  Although they forgot some names here and there, it was great to hear them tell their version of this most important story.

Overall, I'd say this was the party I was most nervous about hosting, but, by the Lord's grace, it went really well!

We had another party here the next night.  Brad was home for this one, so my responsibilities were much less than the previous two.  I only had to handle food and help with the gift swap game.  No problem!  Actually, we told our friend Joe we'd host a party for him and his fellowship group, so he handled most of the details and planning, not Brad.  That week we had some American friends from Mississippi in town, so as they met people on college campuses, we encouraged them to invite them to our house for this party, as well.

I thought my home felt crowded the previous Saturday when we had 33 locals here.  That was NOTHING compared to this one!  We had 43 people, all in my living room!  It was absolutely INSANE - or Hot and Loud, (renao) as our local friends would put it.  But, it was great! I was so encouraged to see Joe and the people from his group take responsibly sharing the Christmas story, getting to know new people, and doing the things Brad and I try to do when new people come to our home!  What a blessing having them pursue people as well,.  There's no way Brad and I and the four gals from Mississippi could have made personal contact with everyone on our own!  And, I had enough food!  I had baked enough cookies expecting to have one more party, but it was cancelled.  So, I put it all out for this crew, and I'm glad I did!

Christmas is a great time to meet people and share our culture and beliefs!  What a sweet blessing to have the opportunity to share with so many this Christmas season!  I pray it bears fruit for years to come!  

Happy New Year!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas as you celebrated the birth of our Savior!  

May the Lord draw you near during 2011!  

Happy New Year!  

Return of the Gingerbread Houses!

by Amy

Two years ago, Brad went out of town for a week in December.  So, in an effort to distract us from missing the daddy all week, I decided to make a gingerbread house with my kids.  It was hard and my kids were little, so that meant I did all of the baking, cutting, and building and most of the decorating.  But, my kids loved it, so we did it again last year as well.  In November, my kids began asking if we could build houses again this year. And, with Brad's promise to handle the actual building of the houses, I cheerfully agreed!  I had learned a few things not to do over the last few years, so I had had high hopes that this would be the best year yet -- and it was!

In our house we have a rule - No School on Birthdays - so, I decided my birthday would be a fun day to decorate our houses.  (Little did I know, that this would be just the beginning of our three week Homeschool Christmas Vacation!  We haven't homeschooled since!  Jan 3, we're starting back up again!)  That meant on the Monday before, I needed to bake the pieces and have have Brad build the houses.  My engineer husband is awesome!  He took his responsibilities very seriously!

 
Clearly his creativity is coming out as he used can goods, boxes of soup mix, and tape dispensers to hold the pieces in place as the icing hardened.  For last year's houses I asked my dad to mail me some meringue powder for making royal icing.  It is great!  Royal icing is usually not edible since it requires raw egg whites to make the icing dry hard and fast.  When you use meringue powder, though, you get the hard and fast effect, but can still eat it.  So, last year we used royal icing to make the houses, and just thick sugar cookie icing for decorating.  But that icing took too long to dry and would run easily.  So, this year we used royal icing for everything!  It was fantastic!  I also used a new gingerbread recipe that worked really well and didn't break my kids' teeth when they ate it!  (I used light corn syrup and added brown food coloring.)  I only ate a few bites, when it came out of the oven, but I think it tasted better than anything I had made in the past.

And, although I was busy the whole time helping Peter and Alex squeeze icing, we were done with all three houses in 2.5 hours -- in time for Brad to take me out for a birthday lunch at our new Starbucks!  Here are the final results!

Aren't they great!?!  Although these houses have gotten easier and easier every year, I will say, I’m honestly looking forward to be in the States next Christmas where we can buy a kit with everything already baked, cut and made!

Christmas Reflections

by Amy

I never got around to posting any Christmas pics last week....  Sorry!  So, three parties and 500 Christmas cookies later, I thought I'd take advantage of the couple of hours I have while my kids are at school this morning to share a few pictures and thoughts....

Since mid-October, I have been teaching a class in my home every Saturday.  The class is geared towards young, single women, and it's purpose is to encourage these women to take advantage of their singleness to develop or grow in their relationship with our Father as they wait for Him to provide a husband.  And, since I'm teaching this class in the local language, it requires anywhere from 8-12 hours of prep each week!  So, while my kids are in school four mornings a week, I prepare for my class.  That means many of the optional activities in my world (i.e. blogging)  have been put on hold for a while.  That being said, with both Christmas and New Year's Day falling on a Saturday, I'm in the mist of a three-week-teaching-break!  Hence this blog post being written now.

Anyway....  my first Christmas party of the year was with the ladies in my class.  When I first began teaching this class I had 20 women attending, but as the semester wore on, the numbers began dwindle.  I had about 10- 12 women who wanted to come every week, but often something would happen to prevent them from making it (work, exams, etc.).  So, in November and December I averaged about 8 women each week.  On December 10, I encouraged these women to invite their friends to our party the following week to learn why we celebrate Christmas.  I expected about 15-20 people to come.  Twenty people in my living room is crowded, but doable.  So, the week before, the kids and I baked cookies and  made 'easy candy' to prepare. (Cookie baking pictures below!)  On Saturday morning, Brad and the kids helped pull extra chairs in the living room, light candles, and set out snacks.  Then, Brad went to work.  My first guest arrived 40 minutes early, with four more arriving 10 minutes later.  By 2:30, when the party was actually supposed to begin, we already had over 20 people in my home!  And, the door bell kept on ringing!  By 3:00, we had 33 locals, plus me and my three kids!  Crazy!!

I will say, though, I was super encouraged!  I did not know over half the people that came, and the majority of them had never heard the Christmas Story.  So, we were able to share completely and boldly, on several different levels (reading the Word, a testimony shared, singing songs, explaining why we have certain Christmas traditions, etc.).  Then, while people were mingling, so many of my local believing friends were engaged in good, meaningful conversations.  What a sweet thing to see happening in my home!!

My kids were WONDERFUL as well!  They were still and not distracting while people were sharing or reading; they were quick to help by uncovering the food, taking coats, and answering the door.  They also didn't eat anything since I was concerned about not having enough food!  They helped with our game and were just a delight to have around!  And, since Brad was gone, I really needed their help with a number of things!  I'm so thankful for my sweet kiddos.  
  
When my last guests left about 6:45, I was wiped, but so thankful for the many new friends I met, the many Books we were able to give away, and the sweet memories that were made.  Unfortunately, I didn't take one picture, so the memories will have to live on in my head!  (That's what happens when Brad's not around for the party!)  And, for the first time ever, ALL the food I put out was eaten, even the cucumbers and cherry tomatoes!  (They think eatting raw veggies is strange!)

So, as promised, here are some pictures from our cookie baking and decorating....  This year, all of the cookies I served at parties were just round (read: easy!), but the kids and I had fun rolling out dough and making shaped cookies for our eating enjoyment!

Obviously, Peter had been sneaking a few licks of icing, and missed his mouth!

 
Mmmm!  Those cookies were good!  We and fun making the dough, rolling them out, cutting them, and eating them!  Savannah was quite a cookie helper this year!  One day, while the kids were at school I made some dough, but didn't have time to bake them.  So, after lunch, Savannah assured me she could handle the baking on her own.  She did great!  She baked over 100 cookies, all by herself!  Leigh and I weren't even near the kitchen to offer a word of advice!  She rocks!

Well, I have many more stories of Christmas fun to share, but they'll have to wait for another post.  I need to pick the kids up from school!

Crazy Christmas Hats

by Amy

It’s December!  Life is a little crazy!  Why not have crazy hats to go along with it? 

A sweet friend mailed these hats to us from the Capital city.  My kids love them! Aren't they cute?!?!

We’ve had lots of fun these past few weeks and are looking forward to this next week of baking and parties.  I hope to have a few spare minutes this week to post more fun pics.  Until then....Merry Christmas!