la vida es una aventura... siempre cambiando: it's beginning to look a little bit like Christmas

this is little meyling, our latest addition here at arms of love in nicaragua. she has a tendency of stealing the show...

so, i think my brain is confused because the calendar says that it's December 14th, the ads on tv are featuring people in Santa hats, and people are sending out warm wishes for a merry Christmas. and yet in the midst of all of this, here i am in a tropical climate, wearing my shorts instead of being bundled up in a hoody and rain boots. that just doesn't make sense to me. until last night, when we put up the christmas tree here in nicaragua. me and my "sisters" decorated the house, while listening to choruses of "feliz navidad". that's when it clicked that we are at t minus 11 days until Christmas. it's the first Christmas away from home, not to mention i won't even be in my home country, but at least my mom will be with me to celebrate (and by that time, we'll be enjoying Costa Rica!). and as hard as it is to be away from my friends and family and all the things that are comforting about this time of year- making cookies and turtles with my mom, reading all the Christmas letters, thinking about presents for loved ones, waking up to the lights of the tree dancing downstairs- perhaps it's a blessing in disguise, because it means that i will have a chance to actually remember why we have this extended break from school in the first place. as a follower of Christ, december 25th has special meaning for me, as it marks the day that Jesus Christ was born into this world, where He lived and ministered until the day He faced His death, nailed on a cross in between two criminals. and yet, even keeping this in mind, it's so easy to get caught up in all that the American culture has made the Christmas season. it hardly bears any resemblance to what it should, and is instead replaced with an insane commercialism that is as contagious as chicken pox in a preschool classroom. instead of focusing on the sacrifice Jesus made to come to a life on this Earth, the importance shifts to cookies, stockings, trees, gifts, parties, and things that have nothing to do with Christmas. although these things are fun and a great way to get together with friends and family, i hope and pray that as we draw closer to the 25th, you and i would take some time to remember the real reason for the season.