Christmas in Thailand

It's always so hard to describe Christmas at a children's home. In the years that I've worked here I have tried and tried but once people come here and expereince it they always say, "Everything you said was true but I didn't come close to fully understanding this." I can start by saying that we have tried very hard to develop a day that emulates a family Christmas despite it being at a group home.

About 5:00am the highschool girls called through the windows for Travis and I to wake up. We walked over to the elementary campus and sang Christmas carols outside the little girl's dorms until they all came tumbling out sleepy and excited to head up to the main hall. That's where we meet to open stockings, sing carols and have breakfast in our pj's. Like children everywhere on Christmas, the girls love their stockings. The staff has worked hard to make a stocking for each girl with her name sewn on it(we have more than 100) and they are filled with candy, small toys, cosmetics, and other miscellaneous treats.

After breakfast we do the Christmas parade. The little girls all dress up in hilarious outfits that they pick out themselves from various bits of finery laying around. It's classic "dress-up": stockings, long skirts, tons of makeup, scarves, high heels and anything shiny they can get their hands on. The big girls carry posters and drums made out of empty tin food barrels. The procession marches across both campuses and around the basketball court. The drums beat solemly. One of our teenagers carries a poster which reads "God is good all the time." It brings tears to my eyes and I have to look away for a moment. The parade ends at the official ribbon cutting for the Christmas ceremonies to begin. Our youngest girl brings me a pair of scissors. Everyone cheers! The girls all change into play clothes and we do field day for hours. Broom ball, basketball, sharks and minnows, eating contests, english games, etc...

The main event comes after lunch though. The sponsor boxes! Each girl at our home is sponsored by a loving family in America and all of those fantastic people send a Christmas box at the holidays. On Christmas our girls get to open their presents from "Mom and Dad" in America. The excitement is palpable. The little girls are hopping all over and the big girls are doing their best to help the staff keep everyone calm. Travis and I work our cameras as fast as we can taking pictures everywhere to send back to these wonderful sponsors who have sent so much love to these kids. My brother watches one girl open a big box full of gorgeous presents. She is shuffeling through everything looking for something. Finally she comes up from the bottom with a happy shout! The card and picture of her "family". She starts showing it to everyone proudly. It is the thing she wanted most. Travis cries.

That night we meet for our gathering. The girls all do dances and skits and we sing songs. I speak for a few minutes and tell the girls about how much they have meant in my life and how I love them. After the service they each get a present from the organization that we work for which runs the home. Then we have a big special "Christmas feast" on tables outside on the lawn. The little girls run around playing with new dolls. The big girls are wearing pretty new dresses and jewelry. We are a family only different and this is a good Christmas only different.

- Rosemary