Christmastime

Christmas is a wonderful time of year. It's when all the lovely decorations come out of storage bins and the house gets dressed up with shades of red and green. It's when parties are planned with special holiday recipes that fatten up all the guests. It's when family and friends gather and share memories of Christmas's past. It's a special time where we remember traditions and those important people that make our Christmas what it is each year. For my family, as with many others, it's when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

This year is my first Christmas away from home. In my 32 years of life, I've spent every single Christmas with my family in Hanahan. We lived in a small house when I was little, but after my brother was born a few years later, we all moved to the house I grew up in, and that's where we spent Christmas year after year. It's where my family will be spending Christmas this year, but this year, it's not quite the same for me.

Before moving to China I knew I'd not be going home for Christmas. I figured that if I'd only lived here five months, going home at Christmas would be too difficult for me. I thought that if I went home this early, I wouldn't want to come back! I stand by my decision and I'm sort of glad I'm not going home just yet, but I do have a twinge of jealously for my friends that boarded planes Saturday to head back to the states.

For me here, I never expected to find as many Christmas decorations as I did. I didn't expect there to be Christmas trees in front of shopping malls. I didn't think I'd hear Christmas music playing in the shops (the latter's only happened in Hong Kong). I thought, and Mom thought too, that the Christmas spirit would be very limited here. She mailed me some Christmas plates and placemats along with other little items to help spruce up my apartment. I found a tree, ornaments, lights (albeit not easily) and some other lovely items to make my apartment feel like Christmas indeed was coming.

Friends who had me over for Thanksgiving had their tree up and decorated for the meal we had in November, then a week later invited several of us back over for a Christmas party where we had hot buttered rum and more sweets than anyone would have imagined. I was so happy to have been invited, but I also really wanted to do something at my place. I love hosting, and Christmas without hosting a Christmas party is well, not really Christmas to me.

As hosting is such part of who I am, I also had a night this week where I invited some friends over for a little dinner, not a Christmas themed meal by any means, but lovely. I had the table set, best I could, in a festive manner. I made gnocchi with a blue cheese cream sauce and we sat around drinking wine.  My friend said, "Hannah, your tree looks as if it came out of a department store." I asked if that was meant to be a complement or an insult and she laughed before assuring me, "compliment."

Two nights later, actually it was the last day of school for us, I invited a few friends over for my little Christmas celebration. Being that my house isn't the largest, I only invited 12 or so people. Almost everyone came, and luckily I had enough seating for the 9 that did show up...although the party began with everyone standing around the food, it ended with us all sitting in front of the TV watching youtube videos (I don't have cable).

I prepared the usual finger foods and easy appetizers. Pesto bow tie salad, ranch dip for veggies (the dip came from home), lumps of coal made like rice crispy treats with marshmallow and coco puffs, onion dip (also from home) with crackers, Italian meats which I often find in the Western markets, and cookies I made following the Eastern European recipe on the box (I have no idea in what language the recipe was, but somehow I managed). Chinese friends brought steamed buns and dumplings. Others brought crackers and dips or alcohol (we even had jello shots which is not at all like most Christmas parties I attend these days but which was quite fun). It wasn't the fanciest of parties as it was a bit of a last minute thing and there are some limits to hosting here in China, but it was nice.

It was good for me to host, to have people in my home, and to feel like Christmas wasn't lost on my not going back to Charleston. I actually felt really blessed to be in China and to have good friends here, and for many of those good friends to exchange Christmas presents with me. We didn't do so much for one another, just little things, but thoughtful. One friend gave me a pair of socks with a giraffe on them. Another gave me a wonderful book on the history of Hong Kong. I got a mug that cracked me up when I read it, "I'm not bossy, I just have better ideas." They weren't expensive gifts, but they were from friends who knew me and took the time to think about what I might like. That means more than you know.

When everyone left Friday night, I cleaned up most of the mess that we'd made and then put on one of my favorite Christmas movies, Love Actually. I nearly fell asleep before it began, but I managed to watch the whole thing before going to bed.

The next two days may sound a bit sad, but rest assured I was completely content with the weekend and I feel very well rested now! You see, Saturday morning I woke up early and finished cleaning the kitchen, but I didn't have any desire to get dressed and go out, so I watched a few Christmas movies and read some of a new book. Then I took a nice, long nap. I was supposed to go to dinner with friends, but when they finally reached me, they were on their way out and I still hadn't showered. I declined their invitation and stayed right there on the sofa. I got up a little later to order Indian food and I decided to watch Bridget Jones Diary, another one of my favorites. I felt so happy to be sitting on the floor with my take out on the coffee table in front of me, the lights from the tree sparkling, and Bridget on the tele. I thought I might look rather pathetic in my yoga pants and fleece, I might have crazy hair and perhaps I scared the delivery guy, but I FELT good. I was happy. Every now and again I get a great sense of contentment from the small things in life. I felt that Saturday night.

I finally went to bed, late, after speaking on FaceTime with friends and family back home. COMPLETELY unlike me, I slept until 10:30 Sunday morning. When I got up, again, I felt like lounging. I made breakfast and cuddled up on my sofa to read some more. Finally, around 4, I got ready for a mani/pedi with a friend. She and I decided we were both starving (I hadn't even eaten lunch) and so around 7 when we had finished the longest nail session ever, we went to try out place neither of us had ever been...Angus Too, a steakhouse. OH MY GOODNESS. I don't know why it took five months to get me there, but I will be going back. It's the best food I've had in Dongguan, that's for sure. The steak was perfectly cooked, melt in your mouth good. I think I dreamed about that filet last night.

You know, I woke this morning thinking I was in Charleston. I was thinking of all the things I needed to do while I was home, items to buy, people to see, so I was rather confused to wake up here in Dongguan. It's ok though. It's not home, and it's not my number one choice of where I'd want to spend the holidays, but lucky for me, I'm leaving in two days for Australia. If I can't be home for Christmas, I'll just have to distract myself with an adventure down under.

As for Christmas itself, I'm a little sad that I won't get to attend a candle light service at church, and I'm sad I won't have my mom's traditional Christmas Eve quiche (although I may attempt to make it tomorrow). I'm sad I won't be with my family on Christmas Day and that this year, I won't exchange the Merry Christmas phone calls with all my friends, BUT, I will do my best to remember how truly blessed I am, and when I'm flying on Christmas Eve, I'll keep an eye out for Santa.  Who knows, maybe he and his reindeer will have the same flight pattern!