How we Spend Christmas in Transit

Overseas, Christmases vary and differ for expats who normally float around trying to recreate Christmas in the tropics (at least that’s what it’s like in Africa). People stick cotton balls on windowsills, try very hard to find an evergreen tree and are particular about having bows on top of the presents. Aussi have an easier go at it as they have “barbis” (cookout) and visit the beach and miss much less then Americans or Europeans.

This year for my family, we expect to carry out our traditional Christmas. We’ve always had rather untraditional Christmases, part of the glorious life of overseas living…life on the edge! The main reason would be the fact we move notoriously nomadically and contentedly. This year, we’re in transit temporary life living in Zimbabwe out of a Land Cruiser worth of goods and without Christmas supplies. There’s no commercialism here, few lights, everyone else is traveling to nearby countries to go grocery shopping and see family. We’re staying, since we already traveled for Thanksgiving and have a little “Charlie Brown” Christmas tree 2 feet high, has one strand of lights and 15 ornaments. The boys are go happy to have it.

And like all traditional years, we’ll go to church in the morning, open presents with coffee and American candy at noon and have a pot roast (err, maybe without the roast this year) for a 4pm dinner with a Happy Birthday Jesus cake. It’s easy to celebrate Christmas in transit, as long as all the food comes in a Land Cruiser from other counties and the presents arrive through DHL. Christmas is about counting blessings and so for one day I try to forget the food, power, water, Zim dollar and internet shortages and the wretched fact my boyfriend lives two continents away. It's not all about what you don't have, and Christmas is a season to celebrate the ultimate gift...a child born in a manger over 2000 years ago.

C’est le noël de nous! God bless us, every one.