preparations part 3

cutting

There are a lot of Christmas traditions that I miss out on when I am in Honduras for most of December. But instead of lamenting all the goodies I can't have here, I decided to show Henry what Christmas cookies are about.

Cut outs, icing, decorating--the whole kit and caboodle. He was tired after about 3 trays. [I told him this is why my mom hardly ever makes cut-out sugar cookies.] But we forged ahead. No dough left behind! I mean, seriously, you will never feel like getting all the stuff back out of the cupboard again.

rolling

We also discovered why Christmas cookies are made in the cold of winter! The dough gets way too sticky in this tropical climate so we had to use a lot of flour, and keep freezing the part that we weren't using.
(Note: this is also why the chef's assistant is not wearing a shirt. Sanitary, I know. Just try having the oven for a few hours when it's 85 degrees inside your house!)


 

Our food coloring options were also limited to the leftovers I had from our Easter egg dying experience...blue & yellow and some red jello powder. We were able to make a sweet kelly green, a pretty bright mustard yellow, teal-ish blue and a light pink. Not your typical Christmas color pallette, but still festive.

decorating (he loved this part)

free stylin' without cookie cutters

the finished product!

proud of his first sugar cookie experience!

preparations part 2

I went with 3 of my friends to a theater production of the Christmas story this past weekend. I wasn't sure what to expect and since it was a theater performance, i fully expected some kind of secular presentation of Christmas-y themes.

But it was pleasantly suprising!

They used the text of the biblical story and mashed it up with choreography, song and dance to give it a new twist. While the presentation definitely had a Honduran flavor, noted in the choreographed dance moves and subtle hints of Honduran humor, it was very engaging and very well done. I could hardly believe how the cast of 8 was in constant motion for almost 2 hours. Impressive!

The idea of a dramatic interpretation is to bring a story to life. To help you see it through a new lens.  I appreciated the way it helped me reflect on certain parts of the Christmas story that i simply skim over when I read through it in the bible. There were two specific parts:

The first was when the angel came to Zechariah to tell him his wife, who was barren, will be given a son. The angel in the play chose to deliver his message through a very creative rap, which was definitely entertaining, but there was something else that stuck with me--the idea that Zechariah was silenced until after his son was born. I thought about how crazy that that must have been, his family and friends mocking him, in disbelief, or thinking he had gone mad! Not to mention that he probably had to use some creative charades to explain that a heavenly being had paid him a personal visit. I was struck again by the ways in which God has worked through "ordinary" people to accomplish his purpose, yet they are imperfect vessels. Zechariah's faith brought about his Son's birth, but his disbelief in the power of God to move in such a way silenced him for 9 months.

The second part was when Mary and Joseph flee with their infant son to Egypt in fear of their lives. They become immigrants in a strange land, undocumented and living "under the radar." It made me ache for others who have made a similar journey--to protect their families, to find a better life, to flee persecution--though they may even lose their lives trying. Aptly titled "la huida de los mojados" or "the fleeing of the undocumented," the scene left me unsettled with this song playing in the background:

Caminos Verdes
Music and lyrics: Rubén Blades

I’m arriving to the border

Eeeeeeeae

And may God’s will prevail

Eeeeeeeae

I’m arriving to the border

Eeeeeeeae

And may God’s will prevail

Eeeeeeeae

As advent brings light to the dark places, I also pray that God's will prevails.

preparations part 1

I've been falling a bit behind in my blogging in this busy season, so here is the first of a few short posts to reflect on life. To reflect on the mystery of advent...a quiet fog, seeping into the cracks and crevices of life...not always tangible, but a persistent hope that always makes itself known...often when you least expect it and most need it.

An unofficial team gathering prompted me to unpack the Christmas baubles that I had tucked away from last year. We decided to celebrate Thanksgiving together on the last day of November and I wanted the house to be festive.

I collect nativity scenes because there is something about them that I just can't resist. Maybe it's the details that make each one unique. The reminders they offer of countries and cultures that I have visited. Or maybe it is the subtlety of each peaceful scene that calls me to find peaceful moments in my own life. Many that I have collected over the years are packed away in boxes at my parent's house. But I keep a few favorite ones with me and they were the first to be put out this year. A few touches of garland, bows, candles, poinsettias and one string of lights (I ran out of steam) was a small way to begin to welcome advent.

Our evening feast was a delicious time together and we talked about what we were thankful for. It was a great way to share some of my cultural traditions with friends and reflect on how blessed we are each and every day.

Although it was a busy and tiring weekend of hosting, it was really fun to share this meal with good friends and find renewed energy for the weeks ahead-when I needed it most!