Keep in mind that none of these holidays are regularly observed here, and David had to take vacation days to join us in the celebrations.
Our most challenging 'holiday' was definitely Halloween. Being used to costumes available around every corner in the US, I totally dropped the ball on having new costumes for our kids this year. I needed to plan, which I didn't. Then I had an unexpected trip to the US, and I wasn't in town to throw something together at the last minute. David had to step up to the Daddy plate and make it happen on his own.
As Harry Potter still rules in this house, both kids were content to reprise their roles from last year as Harry and Hermione. I found Abigail's costume, but I left a list of various possible places for finding William's, none of which were fruitful. Long story short, they decided that W could be Harry from Deathly Hallows and wear street clothes.
We had no pumpkins to carve. I didn't buy candy. We live in an apartment, so David took the kids across the street to a neighborhood of (mostly American) houses. They closed the gates from 6:00 to 8:00 so the kids were safe, and no cars would drive on the roads during that time. Apparently many of the families were unprepared for the onslaught of children and candy supplies were depleted quickly.
*****
Thanksgiving is as American as a holiday can be. It's a time of returning to your roots and gathering with family. For many, it's the first half of "this holiday with my family, that one with yours". When you're an expat, you create family from your friends who share in this common experience.
We met a family in the admissions office on our first day of school last year. We were all staying in the same hotel while we waited for our homes to be available, and we have children of similar age. To top it off, we really enjoy each other's company. We would be 10 for dinner!
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| Zebra enjoyed the affection of our visitors...always willing to accept a belly rub! |
Because this is a very personal holiday, we both made our list of must-haves for a perfect Thanksgiving. Fortunately, our lists were very complimentary to each other and both families could have what they expect without taking away from the other!
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| I shopped |
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| I washed |
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| I made my own cider press! |
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| And I baked a beautiful pie |
Now...TURKEY. This is not something to be taken lightly, and not something that one just finds at the grocery store. The Chinese don't eat turkey. Fortunately, living in an area that is so in tune with Western culture, there was no shortage of imported turkeys to pre-order and have thawed and ready to roast. They were ridiculously priced, but turkey is a must-have, right? Many shopping trips to different places eventually yielded the perfect Thanksgiving feast, and we had leftovers for both houses. (wish I had taken a photo of the turkey)
We are fortunate that the kids attend an American school. While Thursday was not officially a school holiday for them, it was a day off for students while teachers had a professional development day. Friday was the official observance of the holiday, though, and we spent it doing what we do the day after Thanksgiving...NO, not shopping!
*****
The boxes came down from the storage room, and merry-making commenced! Our ayi was around, cleaning up from our Thanksgiving fun, and came out of the kitchen in awe as I plugged in the tree.
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| every ornament has a story |
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| Lost track of how many times I've seen Elton in concert, but still enjoyable! |
I gave the children their allotment of cash, and they were able to do their own shopping for the family, unhindered and unbiased. They really enjoyed the freedom (one, maybe more than the other)
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| Look at all the cool stuff I bought! |
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| This tree was made of crystals hanging from the ceiling...beautiful |
At one of the local school bazaars, I found a company that creates custom cards... I was pleased with how easy it was and that I had them in less than a week!
It took a while before we had more than one card on our tree, though...
And then there was our concert schedule. Between David and the two children, with bands, choirs and pageants they had NINE gigs from Thanksgiving to Christmas! Our calendar was full, but so were our hearts for love of the art!
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| The programs from 7 of their performances... |
*****
Christmas would be different this year. We've traveled before, but always to family near or far, and always waking in someone's home on Christmas day. As I've mentioned before, we like cruising, and we like warmth in December, so a cruise around Australia was the choice destination for leaving Shanghai!
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| The Captain read "T'was The Night Before Christmas" |
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| Youngest captain in the fleet |
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| Always the entertainment |
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| How to decorate a cruise cabin for Christmas... |
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| Santa managed to find us in the middle of the ocean to fill our stockings |
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| Then Santa arrived to greet all the children and pass out presents! |
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| Even Mr. "I'm Too Old For This" sat on Santa's lap |
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| Having cruised out of Australia, there was a British flair, including paper hats! |
*****
Consider New Years Eve to be as popular at the beach as July 4th in the US. We went to Bondi Beach!
*****
After two weeks in sun, sand and Summer, we returned to Shanghai to find that Santa had visited here too, leaving new bicycles for everyone! And we still had our gifts from each other to open...
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| Going down the elevator for the first ride! |
It was weird being away from all of our family for Christmas, and even harder not being able to call anyone, but this was an incredible experience, and the expat life is just a snapshot of our history, so we make of it as much as possible!
Next stop...
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| Bring on The Year of the SNAKE! |
Chinese New Year!
What awesome memories!
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