Focus on Christmas Past and Present

When we first moved to China 14 years ago, we had difficulty finding Christmas decorations to help make the season bright.  In fact the only place in town which carried any festive items was a Japanese department store strategically located beside the Holiday Inn (the only foreign chain hotel at the time). I managed to find two stockings and some wooden ornaments there, bears playing musical instruments; but passed on the expensive artificial trees.  My husband finagled a cedar tree from a nursery that grew plants for parks and roadsides, and we were set.

 Standing in front of the nativity scene we made in their usual dress-up attire.

 Second son playing at Santa on his sleigh.

 Singing Christmas songs.... If you know anything about our boys you will smile, as the one on the left still loves to sing and the one on the right loves to create music.

 Under our "Charlie Brown" cedar Christmas tree.

Things have changed since then.  While Christmas is still not a nationally recognized holiday in China, people have adopted some of the trappings of the season.  They know about Santa, Christmas trees, and presents; but very few know that Christmas has anything to do with the birth of Jesus or who Jesus is at all.  While chatting with my tutor yesterday, she said Christmas has become somewhat of a shopping event.  And that it most especially resembles Valentine's Day with young couples going out to buy gifts for each other.

I don't miss the pressure or stress that can accompany the holiday season in the states; but I do miss the music, decorated homes, greenery, candles, smells, the warmth of Christmas greetings, and the remembrance of the Christmas story.  It's a shame for China to receive all that is commercial in Christmas and none of the miracle and love.

In this modern, globally connected world if you were introducing Christmas into a culture, what would your focus be? Or would you do it at all?

Wishing you all that is Joyful and Meaningful in this season!

I am linking to Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday.  You will find many wonderful Letter "F" posts here.

 

F is for Feel

I've tried out several different F topics in my mind (including the word "Far," since I live so far from the place I grew up and family & friends I have there); but none of my attempts have Felt quite like me.

Some other possibilities have included:

"Fireflies" - which evoked images of velvet summer nights and bare feet dancing across the grassy expanse of yard in pursuit of tiny twinklings of light.

I also considered "Frost" - thinking of crisp Fall mornings and boots crunching down on stiff frozen blades of grass (and scraping the ice off the car windshield in order to drive to school or work).

This great picture below, which was a freebie from iStockphoto (if you have an account), tempted me to write a post on "Frogs" or maybe even frogs waiting to be kissed and transformed in to princes. I am an ardent fan of fairy-tales and meanderings in the land of fantasy.

**Spoiler: If you've never read "Rose in Bloom" by Louisa May Alcott (and you should; but read "Eight Cousins" first, as it tells the beginning of the story); you should skip this section between the double asterisks.

One of my favorite stories along this theme is illustrated below. Rose suddenly finds that her all too familiar frog has turned in to a first rate prince without her realizing it.**

This illustration by Clara M. Burd from The John C Winston Company of Philadelphia 1933 copy of "Rose in Bloom" by Louisa May Alcott is still under copyright and therefore may not be sold or used for personal crafting or artwork. I'm sorry.

But as I mentioned earlier, even this didn't Feel quite right... quite like what I wanted to capture in my post. Some times I wonder if I even really know what "me" Feels like on any given day. I guess my heart knows; but why be so emotional and vacillating instead of firmly fixing my thoughts in the concrete reality of "just the facts?" Would it be as much fun? Doubtful.

Alphabe-Thursday is hosted by Jenny Matlock of "off on my tangent," you can find other fun F posts here.