Wish I was back in Vietnam for Christmas

I know I havent been blogging as much as I want to, thats because over the past few months/ weeks I've been having a few family problems. Hence why I haven't been using my twitter and blog account much.

Anyways, it's that time of year again. Christmas is coming!!! Time to take out your old Christmas decorations and get presents wrapped for the one's you love.... The weird thing is, my family doesnt celebrate Christmas. And what I mean is, we dont hang Christmas decorations, have a Christmas tree or give/ receive gifts. Christmas in my household is just another ordinary day. I've never really learnt what "Christmas" really means. When people talk about the wonderful adventures their families go to or the fun, loving Christmas dinners they have/ go to, it makes me feel kinds left out.

Maybe its the way my parents were raised that they dont celebrate Christmas. Even when I go to Vietnam, Christmas was mainly based for the children. No had a Christmas tree inside the house, but they did have a small Christmas shrine. Each road block would allocate a spot (within their street block) and build a shire that has little baby Jesus and his parents around with a few farm animals. This was then decorated with flashing lights. They also built one around the Church, but based on the districts.

Building the shrines around the Church

These are supposed to give the illusions of a rocky cave

Putting up the frame

This is what they look like (looks better at night when the
display lights are turned on)

What the Church did with the children (for Christmas) was that they would hold a mid-day fair, which was followed by a 7pm concert, which then followed by a 11pm Mass (to welcome the new born King). At the kids fair, they would receive tickets (based on how many times they attended the Church mass and their Sunday School attendance within mid-October to Christmas). These tickets allows them to play the games, which the Priest and his Committee organised.

One of the Christmas concert I went to on Christmas Day (but at night)

During the concert, they would first do a re-enactment of how Christ was born and then it would follow the other random performers (singing and dancing). After all this, a Christmas mass was next.

Christmas in Vietnam was loads of fun. Last year, I helped with wrapping over 200 mini prizes for the Children's fair, 20 large thank-you gifts for each of the performing groups and help cut and stamp all the Children's fair tickets. This was all done in 10 days.

Jelly Cups for the kids