Manuia le Kerisimasi! Yes, that's Merry Christmas in Samoan. Given that everyone speaks English to us here, singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" is one of the few things Emma has picked up in the Samoan language. Emma's school had its annual Christmas program last week and we put up our 3-foot tall, somewhat sad-looking fake tree.... I guess this means the holiday season is officially here. Since I was born and raised in Michigan, I just find it very hard to feel like it is Christmas when it is in the high 80s and even higher humidity outdoors. Sure, we've celebrated a few Christmas seasons without snow on the ground, but it is at least cold out there. You can't really roast chestnuts over an open fire in this climate.
To get into the spirit a bit more, we baked cookies and listened to Christmas music on Sunday. The whole family joined in and we had a great time with the decorating. Our favorite cookies were the ones decorated with the Christmas spider and the Christmas bat. We're off in search of cooler weather and a non-tropical Christmas in New Zealand so we'll have lots to report on the blog in the new year! Happy Holidays!
But, alas, it is Christmastime in the South Pacific. Despite the outrageous electricity costs here, Samoans get pretty serious with their Christmas light displays. It seems the philosophy is the more lights the better. I described one place as being a bit obnoxious and tacky, but Emma found it enchanting. The strangest thing to me is that the places with the biggest displays are the churches. Many of the churches are absolutely covered in lights and also hundreds of statues of Santas, Pooh Bears and, Mickey Mouses. I wonder if the church attendees are required to tithe more this time of year to cover the cost of the church's electrical bill.
If you have ever seen my husband you may already have guessed this, but I enjoy a man with a beard. There are not many islanders with beards so this one already stuck out, but then you throw on the Santa hat and I had a good chuckle.To get into the spirit a bit more, we baked cookies and listened to Christmas music on Sunday. The whole family joined in and we had a great time with the decorating. Our favorite cookies were the ones decorated with the Christmas spider and the Christmas bat. We're off in search of cooler weather and a non-tropical Christmas in New Zealand so we'll have lots to report on the blog in the new year! Happy Holidays!
No comments:
Post a Comment