Years ago when we first came here, we were advised to consider adopting some of the singles into our family so that they could have some small portion of family life. Being an aunt or an uncle, would help them during times when they were away from family. During our training there were several single ladies (who are the backbone of translation work!) who we got to know and became aunts to our kids.
Come Christmas time, our first year, we decided, rather than mourn the loss of Christmas traditions we can no longer do, we would adopt new ones.
One of the ones we adopted was our annual Christmas movie night.
We invite all the singles (usually ladies) to our home to share in our family. We light a fire, rearrange the furniture, make multiple types of soup, and show
It's a Wonderful Life
and usually
Miracle on 34th Street. (this year we don't have time, and also some people don't like the plot around Santa).
We share in soup and getting to know people that we haven't had a chance to know. Part of my reasoning is that I want the single ladies to know that if they have need, they can call a man to do 'man stuff' instead of feeling stranded and helpless. (for example, their gutters are clogged, or their water pump is failing).
Each year we see so many new faces, and we wonder if this tradition is as important to others as it is to us.
Today we got this email.
"I'm coming, this is the only Ukarumpa Christmas tradition I do, I'm looking forward to it."
That really brightened up my wife's day.
Of course I, being a student of film, have to resist the urge to launch into a diatribe as to why this film is the Quintessential Christmas Movie...
so now I just print out all my trivia and hand out sheets!
-Chad
Other new Ukarumpa traditions we do:
-Christmas tree hunt
-cookie baking/decorating, giving to the neighbors
-hiding pickles the elf (whoever finds him the most gets to open the first gift on Christmas morning)
-Christmas eve soup
-Birthday cake for Jesus
-Advent novel
-Advent calendar of daily family activities
-cookie exchange (we're foregoing this one this year)
-...plenty more.
