Baby It's Cold Inside

I was obviously very aware that Christmas would be weird/sad/different/nonexistent here in Thailand. I knew there would be no Christmas tree lighting up my room, no snow glistening outside on the trees, no fireplace to plop down in front of while drinking my eighth cup of hot chocolate. I knew there would be no frantic trips to the mall, searching for that one last gift. There would be no Christmas movies on TV and no holiday shows to attend. There would not be countless hours of baking Christmas goodies. And worst of all, I knew there would be no Christmas morning. No stairs to run down to excitedly rip open presents with my family. No Dad dressed up as an Elf to greet me in the living room. No cinnamon rolls. No stockings. No Christmas nap. I knew I wouldn't be experiencing the beloved holiday the way I was used to. But what I didn't realize was that I would have the chance to share the joy of Christmas with children who have never experienced it. And even more, I didn't have any idea that I would be able to re-create Christmas with a group of friends who were just as eager to get in the Christmas spirit. Christmas week had its ups and downs emotionally, but the weekend itself unfolded beautifully, and I had myself a very, Merry Christmas. 
      
I was very determined to get in full Christmas spirit despite the climbing temperatures. I ignored the 90 degree heat and blasted Christmas tunes all day and all night. My amazing parents had sent me a package full of holiday decorations and some hot cocoa, which significantly impacted my Christmas state of mind. In full Nelf-mode, I decided it was time to show the students what Christmas was all about. And what better way to do that than to show them the greatest movie of all time.....Elf?!? And boy, oh, boy, was it a hit. The kids were literally falling out of their seats laughing. I was so happy to see them appreciate the movie as much as I do. Good thing, because I was giggling uncontrollably. But, what really got me was when one of the classes reached the end of the movie. When Jovie says, "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear," and begins to sing 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town,' the entire class started to sing a long. I completely melted. I had been yearning for some Christmas cheer and they completely captured my heart. After class, while wandering the hallway, I could still hear some of them singing about Santa. I continued the week with more Christmas fun, which included candy canes and Reese's cups (both of which were insanely successful). They were so happy the entire week and it made me so proud that I was able to bring a little Christmas spirit to the schools of Suphan.


On Friday, our program did their best to get in the spirit by putting up some decorations, playing Christmas music and holding a Christmas lunch. The lunch was adorable and super sweet. They even served Western food. Nothing like prawn pizza and KFC for a Christmas meal. As different as it was, the day put me in a good mood and I was excited to celebrate Christmas Eve that night. Sarah and I blasted the AC, bundled up, put on lots of Christmas lights and watched White Christmas. We even got to Skype with Bobby back home! It felt weird to not be around lots of family, but I am very grateful that I had Srall to spend Christmas Eve with. We embraced it and had ourselves a grand ole time. 

Prosecco, M&Ms and Cheese. 

Hi Bobby!

In what still seems odd to me, Christmas morning was the most anti-climatic part of the weekend. I woke up and instead of running down the stairs, I had no choice but to linger in my room. Once again, I have an amazing family, and they had sent me some presents to open on Christmas morning. However, the morning felt a little lonely and I was eager to get to Bangkok to get the real Christmas fun going. For Christmas we decided to 'splurge' and spend the day and night in a really nice hotel. Luckily for us, 5 of our friends had the same idea and so we found a ridiculously awesome and giant executive suite for the 7 of us where we were able to relax and cook ourselves a Christmas feast. In the 30 hours or so we were there, we transformed the place into a Christmas wonderland. Lights and stockings were hung up, presents were put out, Santa hats were on and we even had some fake snow to sprinkle around the room. We spent the day cooking and baking IN AN OVEN (which doesn't exist in 98% of the kitchens). Christmas movies were on every TV while the air was filled with Christmas carols and the sweet scent of brownies. We sat down to a big meal, which was immediately followed by a food coma. We continued the night by playing games, Skyping our families back home, doing a gift swap, watching movies and having ourselves a merry time. I then spent the majority of the next day sprawled out in a cozy King size bed, with the blackout curtains shut and English movies on TV. I was one happy chica. 

Snow!

Yum!

Playing with our new toys

So although it wasn't my standard Christmas celebration, I was still lucky enough to spend the holidays surrounded by great food and even better people. And for that, I am very thankful. I hope everyone had an incredible Christmas and that Santa treated you well :)