Christmas in Xela

In case you haven't picked up this information from our previous posts, or this is your first time visiting our blog, allow me to state the obvious - our new life here in Xela is very different from our old life in Iowa. Everything is different. Little things. Big things. Daily things. And, especially, holiday things.

This is our first Christmas in Guatemala, and we have really been struck by what a big change it's been! For example:

In Iowa we would sometimes have poinsettias on the table as a festive centerpiece. Here, poinsettia bushes grow in people's yards and can be up to 10 feet tall.

Yep - that's a poinsettia bush blooming behind my lovely daughters!

In Iowa it is usually very cold, and we would often have snow for Christmas. The kids could go outside and build a snowman. Here, we went to an outdoor Christmas party one evening. We did have a snowman, though. Granted, it was a pinata, but a snowman nonetheless. Apparently, in Xela, children destroy snowmen instead of building them.

(image found on pinterest)

In Iowa, almost every school-aged kid cuts out paper snowflakes at some point during December. At my school, I suggested to my students that they should make some for my room, but none of them had ever made them before! In fact, many of them had never seen actual snow before, either. We were all fascinated by the craft-inspired cultural exchange.
 

(image from crafthubs.com)

In Iowa, people enjoy going caroling (though usually inside, like in hospitals and retirement homes) to spread cheer and joy. Here, people have Posadas, where groups of friends gather and walk through the streets carrying lighted candles, blowing whistles and banging on drums, and knocking on doors to find room at the inn for Mary and Joseph. One similarity here, however, is that both caroling and posadas end with hot chocolate and cookies. Those things might be nearly universal!

In Iowa, one of our family's traditions for many, many years was to put together gift boxes for Samaritan's Purse's Operation Christmas Child. This year, we didn't. And, though we heard about local people doing distributions of these goody-filled shoe boxes from this GREAT organization, we had the opportunity to do something little more personal. Some friends of ours who help out at a shelter for abused women and children invited us to come along as they distributed gifts, gave out a delicious tamale supper, and shared a simple gospel message.  These activities had the same purpose, but different methods and locations.  I must admit, getting to hug teen moms, tease (and be teased by) kids, and hold babies was pretty awesome!

 In Iowa, we always had a two-to-four-hour drive (depending on where we lived and where we were going) to get to where we celebrated Christmas. In Xela, we will always have a two-to-four-hour drive (depending on road conditions, how many protests there are, and how often we get lost) to get to the Mexican border to get our passports stamped.

This is a section of the curvy, mountainous road on our trip.

In Iowa, we always loved it when Papa (my dad) made a roaring, crackling fire in the fireplace. In Xela we also have roaring and crackling, but here they're from fireworks. It's a tradition in Guatemala to set off fireworks at midnight on Christmas Eve.  (To be honest, they set off fireworks for a LOT of things!) I have literally never seen so many fireworks at once, and I'm a certified pyrotechnician in the States! It is a breathtaking spectacle to behold, and I'm excited to see the repeat performance on New Year's Eve. (I told you they really like fireworks.)

In Iowa, Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. In Xela, it's... oh, yeah! It's the same thing! Though Christmas in the U.S. has too much focus on Santa and commercialization, and Christmas in Guatemala has too much focus on "Santa Maria" and religious traditions, the heart of this holiday is still about the fact that the creator of everything loved fallen, broken humanity enough to come and dwell with them on Earth.

(Image from pinterest)

No matter the language, the traditions, the climate, or the location - it's still the best story ever told, and cause for celebration! So, Merry Christmas from the Farriers of Faith in Xela, Guatemala. May you be truly blessed in the year to come!