Christmas, circa 1986

We had a fabulous Christmas -- thanks, in no small part, to all of our sweet family who called us and sent cards and gifts. Thanks, everyone!

The holiday did have an ominous start when I woke up very early on the 24th to discover that I was very sick. Bu hao and bah humbug. Tommy came to the rescue and tended to the children all day, plus handled all of the Christmas baking (cookies for Santa and the dough for the PW cinnamon rolls). I had to skip our planned Chinese Christmas feast, but Tommy and John went on without me. My Christmas Eve feast was Progresso Chicken Noodle Soup and a lukewarm Sprite. Thankfully, by late that night I was feeling well enough to get ready for Santa, and was even able to enjoy my eggs a la goldenrod on Christmas morning. Joy to the World, indeed.

And what a great Christmas morning it was! Though, in recapping all the great toys that the kids received, we are wondering if we traveled back in time to our own childhood Christmases. Many of the major 80's gifts were represented -- Transformers, Legos, a Slinky, Silly Putty, and My Little Pony. (We covered Cabbage Patch Dolls last year.)

I'd say that Christmas in China was a great experience. It was funny to see the city all decorated for a holiday that no one really celebrates -- when I asked our language teacher what the Chinese people think of all the Santa pictures everywhere, she replied "Oh, those are just for your people." -- but also a little strange to venture outside on Christmas Day and realize that it was just a regular Friday for most of the country. We had a great time as just our little family of four, but felt a little lonely on Saturday, the traditional day of going to the movies with extended family, watching early bowl games, and checking out all the cousins' new toys, plus a quick run to Target to see what's already been marked down. (Oh, wait. Maybe that last one is just my tradition.)

We packed up most of the Christmas decorations on Sunday (while watching it SNOW outside!) and I deleted the Pandora Christmas stations after hearing John singing Wham's "Last Christmas" to himself while playing with his new legos. And just as Target already has Valentine's stuff up (or so I'm told), Carrefour has already moved on to Chinese New Year merchandise. Time to get ready to celebrate the Year of the Tiger!