Holiday Traditions

I got a roll of tape to wrap my Christmas presents with, and it's on the roll backwards. It's facing up when it should be facing down. Ok, maybe it's not wrong. Maybe that's the way they do it here in Britain, but I felt like I needed to turn my hands around too when I was wrapping the gifts.

There are so many things here that are different than what I grew up with that sometimes I feel like I'm learning the basics of life all over again. This is my third year of calling Britain home, but there continue to be things that are new to me, and sometimes I absentmindedly even forget some of the things I learned when I first came. For example, today I went to town with one of the guys from church and when he was driving me home I went for the driver's side of the car because that's another thing they've got backwards in this country. Everybody knows the steering wheel is supposed to be on the left side of the car and not on the right! OK. Maybe we Americans are the ones who've got it backwards. Who knows? Either way, it's always a learning experience. I don't mind though. I love it here and continue to be fascinated by the little differences in language and culture. I'm sure I will always be learning.

Christmas was an especially interesting experience for me this year as in the previous years I was in the States over the holidays. They have some different traditions that I quite enjoy. For example: crackers. Not the ones you eat with cheese, mind you, but these things two people pull like a wish bone and then get the prize from the inside. Each one contains a little paper party hat, a little gift (varying from the kind of things we used to get in Cracker Jacks boxes to nicer gifts like the measuring tape I got in the first one I received), and a paper with incredibly cheesy jokes that everyone sits around the table and reads to each other. They all put on the party hats and wear them while they eat the the Christmas dinner.

I've had three Christmas dinners here now, and each time they have followed this same tradition, and each meal has included turkey with all the trimmings! I had one dinner with friends before Christmas, one on the day itself and another on the Saturday after. The continual feasting on turkey after turkey has finally resulted in the strange anomaly that I often wake up in the mornings gobbling. The best part though is the mince pie. I have come to love mince pie, and everyone serves it during this time of year. I think I'm going to insist that everyone adopt this tradition in California when I go back and become the next governor.

Of course, my new favorite holiday is Boxing Day. It's on the 26th and at least among the people I've been hanging out with it seems to be treated more or less as an extension of Christmas. It's like a second Christmas but without all the stresses of giving and getting gifts. You can relax without thinking about work, eat more mince pies (and turkey too if you want) and just enjoy being together. After all, being together with the people you love and celebrating God's love is what Christmas is really about, isn't it? This extra day, for some at least, seems to give that extra opportunity to leave aside all the stress of cooking, shopping and hassle and just enjoy Christmas.

I really like Christmas in Scotland. Naturally, I miss my family in America, but I've also really enjoyed spending quality time with my new family at Riverside Church and all the wonderful friends that God has blessed me with in this great country! I look forward to more great times with them in the new year to come!