The 12 Ways of Christmas... (Sneaking back into our Christmas-less country)

We knew when we moved here that living in a Muslim country would mean missing out on many traditions and customs that we count on as Americans.  Where would we be without Santa at the mall, fake snow on every window sill, twinkling icicle lights, animatronic and blow-up reindeer, the freaking Chipmunks singing "All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth"?  I mean... would we make it?!?! Being a common Grinch, all I could think about was how lucky I was to be escaping the magic madness. But as the holidays approached and all of our friends and families started to email, and Facebook about winter break, and Christmas cookies, wrapping presents, and midnight mass, I found my little heart growing.  (Or something from that Grinch movie that I refuse to watch because I am not a child anymore, and I don't like movies that depict me and my kind in an unfavorable light.) I was even missing Christmas music... I had the urge to go CHRISTMAS CAROLING! This might be normal for Alan, and for most of you reading this, but I've been out of the Christmas spirit for so long that I don't remember what "jolly" feels like any more. (It feels kinda good. Weird. But good.) I missed the smell of Christmas I guess.  I missed people wishing each other "Happy Holidays," or even being aware that is was the holidays.  Turkish people don't celebrate Christmas, so we worked a regular day on Friday, and will again on Monday.  Alan had to put his foot down when they asked him to work on Saturday ("But that's Christmas," almost didn't work). Most of all we are both missing the family, friends, hugs, and general shared love that come with the season. 
So we worked together with a few fellow ex-pats to bring Christmas back to Who-ville. (Sorry if I'm totally butchering the Grinch story.) I present to you "The 12 Ways of Christmas" in no particular order.

1. Christmas Pageants: The city of Alanya held it's first annual International Christmas Bazaar. All of the schools in the area were invited to come preform Christmas songs.  We got to hear all the classics: Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bells, We Will Rock You, and The Lion Sleeps Tonight, sung by Turkish children who may have memorized what the words sound like, but have NO CLUE what they are really singing.  So sweet.  I saw many an older Eastern European crying. Either the children REALLY butchered the German songs, or they were genuinely touched to hear some traditional Christmas songs here.  I'm leaning towards the second one.

2. Christmas Candy: Alan's family tradition made it all the way here! He slaved away on some DElish Peanut-butter balls dipped in chocolate. So good he has been challenged to a Tatlı-off. Or a dessert making competition. What the challenger doesn't know is that his family has been grooming him for the "big dance" since he was old enough to roll a ball out of dough-like substances. He's sure to win.

3.  Spending time with Family: OK so they weren't our family members.  But they were someone's family.  And while we are in Turkey Jan and Adnan are our stand in parents; Sonya, Zeynep our stand in sisters, Kamil and Burak our stand in brothers, and Suzanne, Nicole, and Kenan our stand in cousins. We even got to celebrate with pretend distant relatives: some awesome Dutch people who had us over for international cocktail hour.

4. Christmas music: Alan brought his Uke and Nicole played her guitar so we could have a good-old Christmas sing-along.  Rudolf and Frosty were in attendance, along with Silent Night and many other classics.

5. Christmas Crafting:  Being that I LOVE crafting, I couldn't let being in Turkey take away my tradition of making some sort of ridiculous Christmas gift.  With no sewing machine, no yarn or needles, no craft stores in Alanya, and no time for anything elaborate, I settled on baked clay ornaments.  They turned out just as silly as expected. Perfect.

6. Trimming the Tree: with said ornaments.  "The Tree" was a house plant, and the ornaments only stayed long enough to snap the picture, but it was trimmed, and it was beautiful.  So there.

7.  Christmas Movie #1: ELF.  God bless Buddy the Elf and his syrup loving, long burping, hilariousness.

8. Christmas Movie #2: Love Actually.  Never fails to make me cry.  It even works on Alan. Sap.

9. Dressing Festively: I'm not sure I've owned a Christmas sweater since I was 5, so of course none made the cut when deciding what we could fit into our Turkish lives. So a bright read sweater and a bright green scarf would have to do.



10. More Christmas Music: N'Sync Christmas.  NEVER GETS OLD.

11. Our REAL families: We are oh-so-lucky to have skype and facebook to provide the gift of seeing our families faces even when they are thousands of miles away.  We miss you guys like crazy.  Can't wait for Google or Apple to invent the hug app.

12. Snuggling in PJs and slippers all day.  Nothing makes me feel more jolly than warm jammies, and a cozy nap.  Especially when I get to share those things with the guy I love. 



So to wrap up, MERRY CHRISTMAS! From the birthplace of both Christianity and Santa, and from the bottom of our hearts.