It is the season of Christmas, and what better way to get into the season than incorporate Christmas into the classroom? My students have made cards and crafts, learned Christmas songs, and played Christmas games.
It was in my youngest class that I began to read a Christmas story - not THE Christmas story, but one about wanting presents and toys, about Santa and what he will bring. These are ideas that do not seem foreign to the westerner, in fact they are far from foreign. But as I was reading, and having my translator translate, I found myself embarrassed that I would even read such a book. I apologized to my translator and said, “The End.”
This occurrence has caused me to think deeper about what Christmas really means to me. I know in my heart that the birth of Jesus is the reason for Christmas, and Christmas should be about love, community and sharing; but, how deeply engrained are these false stories of Santa and toys? I mean, we all know the songs, and exactly how Santa travels and comes down chimneys, but to the foreigner, this idea is just that.
Coming to Cambodia for Christmas has removed a large part of many Christmas traditions for us. But one large tradition, of coarse, is shopping for presents. I love buying, wrapping and giving presents. I don’t care as much about receiving presents though, so I don’t buy so I can get. When you remove this shopping factor, and suddenly you are left without shopping, you feel as though all the prep and lead-up to Christmas is gone. This is a problem. Once I realized this is how I felt, I realized that shopping and presents are what really does define Christmas in western culture; and although I like to think otherwise, it has defined much of what Christmas means to me.
By being removed from westernization this holiday season, I have learned more about myself, and feel blessed to be able to focus on the things that matter: Jesus, love, relationships, and community - all which are very close to us now and easy to access!
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