Merry Christmas everyone!
Last night I finally felt like Christmas was here. Ecuadorian Christmas celebrations are different from US celebrations, but there really is something to the Christmas spirit throughout the world.
We spent Christmas Eve (and EARLY Christmas morning) with my host-mom's youngest brother and his kids (Maria Amilia, 4 and Juan Fernando, 10ish). We sat around talking and, at least for the younger adults, keeping the kids busy. Juanfer (Juan Fernando's nickname) has quite the arsenal of nerf guns, so we ran around shooting each other for a while. Cocking Amilia's gun for her just resulted in getting shot, but she would cry if you didn't, so I spent a lot of time running from her after cocking her gun.
A little while before midnight, we sat in a semi-circle around the nativity scene and listened to the final Novena. The Novena is something that just about every Ecuadorian family does. The nine days before Christmas they read parts of the Christmas story, sing, and recite prayers. We finished the Novena just before midnight, and once it was officially Christmas, Juanfer and Amilia attacked the pile of presents under the tree. Once everything was open, we adults ate dinner while the kids played with their new toys. Amilia soon discovered that I (and my jacknife) was very good at getting through the packaging on toys and putting them all together, so I spent most of the rest of the night undoing twisties, ripping open bags, and snapping pieces of plastic together. By the time we left, it was nearly 2:30 and we didn't get home until 3:00.
It may have been a different kind of Christmas, but it was definitely Christmas, and that's all I needed.
So a very merry Christmas to you all, and a happy New Year too. I'll see you next year!
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