Candy for Christmas

"Candy," Bea responded tentatively when Santa (whose voice bore a remarkable resemblance to a British expat we know!) asked our baby what she wanted for Christmas. (Her response was no doubt generated as a result of the giant bowl of candy sitting beside the jolly old elf!)

The Jazz Nativity Drama

1 International School Christmas Program
Nearly 100 kids
representing 15 countries
(60% of these students speak English as a second language,
and for 30% our mother tongue is their third!)

Its a Marshmallow World

Yuletide events are continuing at the household of The Johnson's in China! Eliza and I out did ourselves this week, making home made marshmallows to float in hot chocolate. Eliza, our patient, rule-following middle child, carefully read the recipe directions, measured with precision the basic ingredients, and dutifully set and minded the timer. When the mallow had set, all three girls dipped small cookie cutters in hot water and cut the sticky goo into cute shapes that we then dusted with powdered sugar.

After sipping their seasonal beverages, they unwrapped the portable CD players that were waiting for them under the tree, and sorted through the Christmas CDs to find the perfect slipping-off-to-sleep yuletide tunes. With the promise of mellow music, they were surprisingly interested in going to bed! (Which left plenty of time for Mom and Dad to watch, in entirety, the SNL’s Christmas 2008 show, which was waiting on the DVR!)

12ish Days (continues...)

Sunday Night found our family reading the Christmas favorites: The Night Before Christmas, Luke 2 and a great little board book with little doors through which Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus can pass during each phase of their journey. It’s a tattered favorite we’ve had since Millie was little, and yet it remains a hit!

Gifts from Mema and Bopa included Christmas stickers and lip frosting… Yes lips were quickly frosted, and in Bea’s case several inches of her face in the general area of her mouth. The fact that it was called frosting was not lost on her either-- as she quickly sampled the glittery lip balm!

Earlier that day, you could have found our family posing in front of the Crowne Plaza’s multi-story Christmas tree, much to the amusement of the concierge and patrons at the hotel. We waltzed through the revolving door, set up the tri-pod and started snapping away! Those pics are now part of the slide show above and the stills below!

Hallelujah

The 12-ish Days of Christmas

“So… what are you going to do? Bring the gifts and stockings with you?” My friend Joan inquired of our Southern Hemisphere Christmas.

“No, I think we’ll just do it at home before we go,” I replied rather lamely, wondering if the kiddos would be disappointed the morning of the 25th.

But, the more I’ve thought about it (thanks Joan for the inspiration!) I’ve thought, “Why not take these moments before the actual holiday to really celebrate Christmastide.”

So, every night we’ve been planning a little something Christmas. While it won’t be exactly 12 Days of Christmas, it’s been a prolonged event with several small special things each evening.

(Thanks to Mema’s preparedness, we’ve also got gifts from our family in Illinois to spread out over those nights too.)

Above: Millie's Cookie Skills

Our 12ish Days began last week, where after the course of the week, after dinner and baths and homework where rushed through, we decorated Christmas cookies and watched holiday favorites like Frosty the Snowman, Charlie Brown Christmas, and our new favorite Shrek the Halls. (DVRs and Slingbox offer amazing technologies, allowing our kids to stay connected with Western culture while living in an Asian context.)

Countdown to OZ

So... we are now just 10 days away from our trip Down Under. Sean, our resident travel agent/tour guide, has booked us six days in Sydney, and four in Cairns (where we're planning a family excursion to the GBR w/SWJ scuba diving and the girls and I snorkeling.) We'll travel on a giant catamaran from Cairns to a small sandbar/cay where we lounge on the beach and/or snorkel in the warm, clear water off the sandy shore. Then, on to open water reef for diving and snorkeling. At the end of the day-long trip, they kill the engine and we harness wind power to sail back to Cairns.

We can't wait.

Check it out @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5vYrJROSvo