I'll Be Home For Christmas . . .

"I'll be home for Christmas . . . if only in my dreams" the popular Christmas carol declares. At times, I'm utterly amazed at the longing I have in my heart to be home for Christmas to experience all the "usual" things that we experience at Christmas time. You never realize your affinity for the "usual" until you are removed from it. Thankfully, however, Susan has repeatedly reminded us to enjoy the experience of an Australian Christmas, instead of complaining about what we are missing (and, yes, I have been guilty of complaining about what I miss). To that end, our Christmas tree (all 3 feet of it (and all plastic--there are very few real Christmas trees in Australia)) is decorated with koala ornaments and has a small plush koala with a Santa hat underneath it. Our birthday cake for Jesus will be Lamingtons, which is a traditional Australian dessert. And we will be having a barbeque (yes, you read right!) on Christmas Eve at some friends' house. And after reading some from the book of Colossians last night, I've vowed to stop my complaining and start thanking God more for this opportunity, for it truly is a unique opportunity with which He has blessed us. And, next year, I'm sure that I'll be dreaming of an Australian Christmas . . . including the shrimp on the barbie.