Christmas was definitely special this year for us. Far away from home, no cold feet because of the snow and Chicken Biryani instead of “Sausages with Sauerkraut” on Christmas Day.
The Christmastime started for us on the 1st of December when we decorated the Christmas tree with the children together. During the month we did many special activities like baking cookies, dancing to Christmas songs and watching movies. On the 23ed of December a longstanding sponsor came to Hope House, handed out Santa’s hats and we all prayed together. It was such a special time, and everyone was so excited.
Our whole life, Lili and I are used to celebrating Christmas on the 24th. The Hope House celebrates on the 25th, so we decided to celebrate on our own on Sunday. In the morning we went for a walk, bought snacks, decorated our room and ordered dinner. Of course, we also watched a really bad and unrealistic Christmas movie and just enjoyed the time together. As our families are in Germany/Austria, we called them in the evening to be part of their Christmas celebrations too.
At 11 pm on the 24th, the older girls, Lili and I went to church to celebrate there. There were many villagers, we all sang together, prayed and drank tee at the end. It was such a nice experience to celebrate this special day with all these people.
On the 25th, in the morning, we all had breakfast together, Idly and Samba. We were so tired because we stayed up until after midnight, nevertheless we all enjoyed spending time together. We spend the time with preparing groceries and cutting vegetables for lunch. Of course, it was special food day and the kids all enjoyed eating Chicken Biryani. In the evening we all watched a Christmas movie, called “Klaus”, together.
I also want to mention that especially on Christmas, the children have a hard time. Some of them have the opportunity to visit their families for a few days, but most of them are staying at The Hope House. They don’t get big presents, make special activities or are going on vacation. For most of them, it is just a normal Monday in December. For Lili and me, again on Christmas, we realized how privileged we are not only for all the presents we get, especially for the family we have and the time we can spend with them.
We are thankful for this wonderful Christmas and the special moments we experienced. For many people, Christmas is one of the worst times throughout the year and we have to remind us to be grateful for what we have.
Thank you to all sponsors throughout the year and especially on Christmas. The girls had a great time, lots of fun and some very special memories thanks to you.
Comments