"and there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas"--U2

Christmas is by far my favorite time of year to spend with my family. It is a season full of tradition, nostalgia, and TBS's 24 hours of A CHRISTMAS STORY. This year will be the first Christmas that I do not spend at home.

Nevertheless, Christmas will go on and hopefully we can share our Christmas with you through pictures.

It's just not Christmas without Santa banners and Christmas music playing...the local grocery had both. However, there was something a bit out of place about this sight.

One thing that has blessed us, is that Christmas came from HOME to US via the USPS and ZamPost. We are so thankful to have a few familiar things to celebrate with, like a stocking (African themed), a tree, and a few small presents! These decorations were all handmade by my parents (all except the giraffes, Kyle bought that here).

Christmas morning should always include fresh, homemade cinnamon rolls. Mine turned out very gooey and very sweet.
A novelty to North Americans at Christmas time, is mango. Here it is in the middle of the season. So our Christmas also included fresh mango right from our own backyard. They also handed out mangoes at church this morning to everyone who attended. For most, Christmas day in Zambia includes going to church for a service. Our church had a children's musical about the nativity story and a few special music presentations.

And how about some Christmas greens. The greens below are from the local version of fir trees that grow here. It helped make the house smell a little bit more like Christmas.
Our day also included a Christmas party with two other families and a few friends. We had a big meal of ham, chicken, potatoes, salad, and desserts. And what Christmas gathering is complete without a swim in the pool! We had a great time splashing around and playing in the water with the kids. It was a nice, hot sunny day for swimming...Kyle even burned a bit in the hot sun! We appreciated sharing the day with our spiritual family that God has given us here. Below is a picture of the gift we received from one of our friends. It is a hand painted local craft that we can hang on the wall.
We hope that this Christmas you have been touched in some new way by God. We pray that you know HIS love and humility through this great act of coming to earth. May you know many blessings from God this holiday season. And we leave you to meditate on the question we were asked this morning at church: What if Jesus NEVER came?

All our love-The Stobs