A few things happened in 2016 which changed Christmas.
Firstly the Guatemalan Post Office closed down. Completely. So no post would get through for Christmas (either before or after). Although there´s not that many people who use snail mail anymore, some still make an exception around Christmas. This year it was only a few days before the 25th that it dawned on me, that I would have no presents to open on Christmas morning. On the actual day, it really didn´t matter!
I already had plans for hosting 11 people for Christmas dinner on the 25th, but I also wanted it to mean something more than just filling our bellies with rich food. So inbetween courses, we did some version of the 'examen'. I lit some candles to focus the mind, and asked everyone to think of one thing that had brought them joy in 2016, and one thing that had brought them sadness. As people shared, it was wonderful to see God´s faithfulness and guidance in our lives in spite of some difficult circumstances and challenges. We lifted all of these things up to God in prayer, recognising his presence with us, throughout our joys and sadnesses, so wonderfully demonstrated in the coming of Jesus to the world.
Previously to our get-together, a few people had asked me if we were going to give and receive 'secret santa' presents. For a long time, I´ve not been entirely comfortable with the consumerism that surrounds Christmas, both in the UK, and to a slightly lesser extent, here in Guatemala, so when this question presented itself, I went for an alternative. I asked each guest to come with (spoken or written) words of encouragement and appreciation for each other instead of presents. In the days before Christmas, I really enjoyed making time to think and pray and write these words of encouragement for each of my guests, to focus my prayers for them on what I desired for them in the coming year.
Secondly, in 2016, I was also in the UK for 4 months, and since
returning to Guatemala in Oct, I have been really busy. Guatemalan
friends also tend to be very busy - often fitting in work and studies
and church responsibilities, so in 'normal life' there´s not much time
to share on a deeper level. So I decided that Christmas week, I would
dedicate to hospitality -- and each day it was such a lovely experience
to have some unhurried time to catch up with different friends and bless
them with good food (I hope).
All of this made me think about authentic community, where we can be honest about our struggles and joys, where we can appreciate one another, and share hospitality. And it all made me want to lean into these values even more in the coming year.
(And thirdly..... no brussells sprouts were to be found anywhere in Guatemala!!!!)
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