In some ways I was bracing myself for impact not know exactly how my first Christmas away from home would actually go. I was bracing myself for a Christmas without snow, without my parents, bro’s, sister-in-laws and nephews, without my innumerable extended family members, without grandma’s pig-n-blankets, and without my Chihuahua. I wasn’t sure how it was going to feel spending my Christmas in another country with people, all of whom I had known for less than a year. But to my grand surprise it was actually wonderful! Ok so there is nothing that can replace said list above, but the fact that I was extremely happy and contented without aforementioned list makes me think that God really did provide for me this Christmas. The party began on the morning of Christmas Eve when I met my Portuguese mother Lourdes and a couple of her friends for coffee. I put on a a festive red sweater and with gifts in hand sauntered down to Café Alice. Café Alice is a stone’s throw away from my place and though the ambience is nothing to write home about, it does carry with it a Cheers-like atmosphere where everyone knows your name! We enjoyed our little lattes and exchanged presents.
At first I had wondered if I had done something culturally inappropriate but Lourdes assured me that his dismayed look was only evidence of the fact that he had nothing to give me. I laughed and explained that the people in this café were my family this Christmas and hence were the ones I bought presents for. It was a special time I was glad that I had stayed in Portugal for. After coffee, I tried my hand at making Christmas cookies by myself for the first time! With t
Little did I know that I would not see my bed that night until 2:00am! The Portuguese are the most sleep deprived nation in Europe, but they sure know how to have a good time. I felt so honored to be able to step into Mari’s world and experience Christmas with her. She showed me around and introduced me to her aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandma and I thought to myself, how it was not very unlike the crazy Christmas Eve gathering on the Statema side!Some of the festivities included drinking soup out of a small bowl as a starter, eating Codfish and of course a plethora of desserts, and drinking a strong dose of Portuguese coffee around midnight. Presents were stealthily placed under the tree while the children were in another room trying to spy out a window for Santa. Then with a bell and a lot of clapping we pretended to wave goodbye to Santa as the kids rushed in so bummed that they had just missed him. Their disappointment didn’t last long however, because they soon had their hands full tearing open their presents! It was such a fun night, and though, I missed my family, I was able to appreciate Christmas on the Portuguese side of things! Christmas day was a day filled with relaxing, eating and playing games with some other Americans in the area. I was glad to have a day to recover from the craziness the day before. All in all my Christmas, though very different, was wonderful! It was filled with my family here, both American and Portuguese, and I am so grateful to have been able to celebrate the birth of my Savior with so many!

