Tomorrow, we will have one week left of winter break =(
Last Tuesday morning, I left for Angel Fire, New Mexico for skiing/snowboarding! My family drove, with Michael Chen’s family right behind us. We stayed overnight in a town called Santa Rosa, and continued the next morning. Around noon on Wednesday we arrived at the resort. After checking in, and going through all the technical things, I had my board and was dressed up and ready to go =D Yes, board. I’ve never skied before; I don’t know if I ever will. Snowboarding is so much fun.
Everyday was pretty much the same. Snowboarding in the morning, ate a sandwich for lunch at the bottom of the slopes where there were tables and shops. I had hot chocolate almost every meal =D Very exciting. Every day, when our lift tickets expired at 4pm, we’d go back to the condo and relax.
Derek! His family came and shared our condo with us =DDD Fun to see him. We slept on a bed that was behind a TV. The TV was embedded in this huge wooden entertainment center type of thing. On the top there was a handle, and if you pull on it, the whole entertainment center comes down and there’s a mattress! I don’t know if y’all know what I’m describing. Basically, it was where we slept. Every day, Derek, Simone, and I would play cards and watch TV. Fun. Michael would sometimes join us; he was in a different condo in the next building. We also played Monopoly; the same Disney Monopoly that we played when we were kids =D Yay. Good times. I got to be the Peter Pan figure, just like always. Derek was Lady and the Tramp again, and Simone Sleeping Beauty. Brought back good memories.
The night of Christmas Eve, my family, Derek’s family, and three other families gathered at Michael’s condo (five families total), and we all sang Christmas songs together and shared what Christmas meant to each of us.
On Christmas this year: I feel like I’ve missed the event. Other than that one night in Michael’s condo, I didn’t do anything Christmas related at all. I barely said “Merry Christmas” to anyone. I didn’t celebrate Jesus’ birth. This trip, that started before Christmas and ended after, basically had me thinking about snowboarding all the time. I was just relaxing, my mind not really on anything. It’s disappointing; I came into this Christmas season very excited. I was so happy that it was finally Christmas, ’cause Christmas is the happiest time of the year. I was so ready for the Christmas spirit to hit me. I feel the most joy in this holiday. Christmas is a time of the most joyful fellowship for me. Everyone’s happy. Jesus was born, and without him, there would be no purpose in the world. The carol goes, “Joy to the world!” Unfortunately, I didn’t really get to experience that joy this Christmas. When I left for my snowboarding trip, I think I left Christmas at home. ‘Cause it didn’t really occur where I was. I didn’t even go to any church Christmas events. No cantata, no Sunday specials. I didn’t see any nativity scenes, or anything. Christmas isn’t about these things, I know. It’s not about attending these church events because it’s what you’re supposed to do. But these church events do help implant the meaning into my mind. I could say that my surroundings this Christmas, my environment, wasn’t Christmas focused. This had an impact on me. The importance of Jesus’ birth didn’t really click for me on Christmas. I didn’t experience the Christmas spirit this year. It’s unsatisfying. (I’ve got to wait a whole year for Christmas again.) I’m lying in bed, trying to make it click. I’m trying to place Jesus’ birth as the main focus of this holiday, and I’m trying to make it the most important thing this season. Celebrating and being joyful is pretty hard without the right environment.
It’s not like this is the only time Jesus’ birth can be important. It’s important all the time, and will be for the rest of my life. I guess the absence of my experience of Christmas celebration is forcing me to remember that. I can still celebrate, throughout the year. I probably should be celebrating everyday of the year. Everyday, remember Christmas, remember Easter, and everything. I’ve missed Christmas the holiday this year. But it’s not the end.
Today I think I’m going to give out hats downtown to people with cold heads. I hope I can spread some holiday joy. Not just for their sake, but for mine as well.
