Sunday, December 2, 2012

A Christmas To Remember


Yes I know it’s been quite a while since I have written in my blog.  It was a combination of things that kept me from writing.  One, I was busy teaching English, studying Arabic (where I’ve reached the point I have to study at least an hour a day!), meeting new friends both Arabs and foreigners….busy!  And then I wasn’t sure what to write.  Life seemed pretty routine and kind of boring!  But the last couple of weeks brought something to mind that I thought I would share with all of you.

As Thanksgiving was approaching I was excited!  I simply love the holidays, but then I remembered that I wasn’t in America celebrating this time of year. I started to feel a little homesick since.  And as I looked around Amman, there were very little signs that the holidays were upon us.  Thanksgiving day is just another day here.  Kids still go to school, and people still go to work.  The weekend that followed Thanksgiving I was seeing countless posts on facebook of people putting up their Christmas decorations and posting pictures.  That excited feeling I had because it was the holiday season soon turned back into that homesick feeling I had after first arriving here.  Holiday traditions were not going to happen this year and that made me sad.

As I was listening to some Christmas music that I have on my computer, a song came on called “A Christmas To Remember.”  The second verse of the song caught my attention:

I know it's true
Time doesn't stand still
Many things can change
But we know some things never will
The memories we share
The songs we always sing
The mystery of life
The hopefulness this season brings
And I have a dream or two
Maybe they will come true

Setting our hopes on a big snow tonight
We'll wake up to a world of white
It's gonna be a Christmas to remember
Light up the fire, play some Nat King Cole
Always sentimental and don't you know that
It's gonna be a Christmas to remember

Just because I don’t have my countless tubs of Christmas decorations to put up this year and because I’m not home doesn’t change what Christmas is all about.  This season brings hope.  It brought us all hope so long ago.  Heck, I’m so physically close to where it all happened!!!  It will be a different way of celebrating.  There are not decorations everywhere on the streets, but there are decorations in a few places I visit.  It feels like Christmas in Starbucks with the red cups and the Christmas music that’s been playing since before Thanksgiving!  This year I will just need to find it and look for it unlike at home where it’s everywhere you go! 

Don’t get me wrong, I will probably still have moments of sadness and there will probably be some tears.  I don’t think it would be normal if I weren’t a bit homesick and sad at Christmas time.  However, I can’t let those sad moments ruin this precious holiday!  I’m just choosing to look at this way….. this year it’s going to be a Christmas to remember! 

No comments:

Post a Comment