Christmas in Thailand Part II: With Family

This was my first Christmas away from my family.  At some points it was hard, because it didn’t quite feel like Christmas with the same traditions and decorations.  But on the other hand, I was excited to celebrate Christ’s birth in my new home.  I decorated and had a nativity, Advent wreath, and tree!

so I think it’s more of a Christmas shrub than tree, but it’s alive and it works.

God has blessed me with friends and a family in Chiang Mai.  On Christmas Eve, I spent the whoooooole day with a Norwegian missionary family and a passel of in-laws that were in town for a visit.  I met the dad through another friend doing triathlon, and I love their whole family, with four kids under 8yrs old.

First we had a breakfast feast of breads, cheeses, eggs, salmon, and meats…

Then we watched Charlie Brown’s Christmas and a Norwegian Christmas classic.  After a light lunch we went to a botanical garden/park type thing where the kids rode bikes and we walked around enjoying the warm day.  Some of the kids, their aunt and I rode paddle boats with them in a lake:

Catherine is a sweet seven year-old. 🙂

We went back to the house for another feast, and then presents around the tree.  I am so thankful that God blessed me with this family.  I wasn’t with MY family on Christmas, but I was able to share it with A family, and that was good enough.  What a fun Christmas Eve!