So, what is it like to have Christmas in Africa? We aren’t quite there yet, but can tell you what it has been like as we have worked up to it. Let me back up to Thanksgiving first though.
Obviously Thanksgiving is not celebrated here in Cameroon. We spent the day with the Diederichs and some other Navigator friends. It was a very non-traditional meal, for sure. We had a spiral sliced ham! Most of the “fixin’s” were traditional: sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, rolls, pecan, pumpkin and lemon meringue pies and salads. No cranberry sauce…no turkey…bummer! But, we really had a nice and relaxing day…oh yeah, no football either. Our family spent the week before Thanksgiving remembering why we celebrate that holiday and exploring some of the history of it. They kids are enjoying it more and more as they get older.
Tradition in the Naine/Withers home is that on the Friday after Thanksgiving we get our Christmas tree. Where is the nearest “cut your own” tree farm???? Nope, don’t have those here. Believe it or not they do have cypress trees that they use for Christmas trees but they come already cut and don’t arrive until the week before Christmas…entirely too late for us! So, this year (first time in my 35 years of life) we have two small artificial trees. It has been a hard pill to swallow but we are doing just fine. We got out all our decorations that day after Thanksgiving and have strung lights everywhere we could with the transformers we have. We have some upstairs and Gilles even hung them on our four poster bed!!! I love to read at night to the Christmas lights.
We went to a Christmas Bazaar at the American School of Yaounde (ASOY) the first weekend in December. It was complete with a train ride and a visit from Santa Claus. The kids each gave him their wishes. He came in with white tennis shoes and his brown hair hanging out under the beard and hat. A far cry from the Miller & Rhodes Santa that I grew up with.
We have done a steady stream of entertaining in December too…after all, isn’t Christmas about relationship and less about presents. We actually have not missed to cultural baggage that goes with Christmas in the US. We miss not being able to run over to Target to pick up a quick stocking stuffer, but not all the emphasis on the selfishness of this season. We plan to have a Cameroonian Nav couple over (newlyweds) for dinner on the 25th with us and then will spend the afternoon and evening of the 26th with our good friends the Chokote family. We want to introduce them to the white elephant gift game and just enjoy eating and fellowshipping together.
Christmas here is quite a puzzle, too. Though it is the celebration of Christ’s birth, many Christians don’t recognize or celebrate it in the Cameroonian community. I think it is their way of escaping all the traditional trappings that come with it. Instead of redeeming the Godly aspects, they are throwing the baby out with the bath water. Our desire in spending this season is to help them see that it doesn’t have to be one or the other, but that we can celebrate a Christ centered Christmas.
The children have a closing program today at FES with lots of Christmas songs (in 4 different languages). We will surely take lots of pictures and video. They enjoy those times of schooling with other children and yet are ready for the hustle to be over and return to school in the Naine Family schoolroom when FES wraps up.
Merry Christmas from far away. We send you tons of warmth this holiday and are also posting some pictures of the flowers we get to enjoy in December while you enjoy snow and cold.