It's Begining to Look like Christmas

It starting to look a lot like Christmas ... not only in Vienna, but in the Elledge household as well! This week we put up our Christmas decorations! We have the cutest little real tree that we put in a pot and planted. Every year, it will be our Christmas tree. When it's not the Christmas season, it will just hang out on our patio ... waiting until it's next debut! Good things come in small packages ... and our small little Christmas tree brings us a whole lot of cheer!

As the Christmas season arrives, so does the opportunity to have other's in your home to celebrate! Last Friday night, we had our former language class over for a Christmas party. We had 8 students, from 8 different countries: Somalia, Japan, Iran, Brazil, Romania, Italy, Austria, and the U.S. God gave us such a tremendous opportunity to serve them by hosting the gig. It was such fun. Everyone brought dishes from their respective countries. We ate and danced ... yep, the girl from Brazil is an expert dancer in Brazilian and Eastern dance ... and the girl from Iran also Belly dances ... along with her husband! We ended up clearing out the table from the dining room and turned it into a dance floor! We even sampled a bit of African tribal dancing and good ol' American Square Dancing! We started at 6:00 p.m. and finally at 11:30 p.m. people had to leave in order to catch the public transportation before closing for the night! Some students will be leaving in December to go back to their respective homes, however there are 3 who live in Vienna. We are hoping that God continues to build a strong relationship with these students as His gift to us ... in hopes they experience His gift of Christ toward them!

Saturday night we had number two of our family Christmas celebrations. We took the girls downtown for a contrast of two worlds: an old fashioned, home spun Christmas market and a High-tech, tourist trap Christmas experience. The old fashioned Christmas market featured booths selling art and crafts from local artisans, a petting zoo, and pony rides. It was really sweet. This time of year, one of the traditions you can find at every Christmas Market is "Punch". Don't let the name fool you - it's hot wine! They serve it in a mug unique to that particular market. Addison has now made it her life's goal to collect a new mug every year. So, last night she tried her first punch! Hold on, hold on, ... they have "kinder punch" that is alcohol free ... which is the punch she sampled. It had no affect on her ... although right after drinking it she went to bed and slept until noon the next day! Hmmm .... we think the next market we go to we'll let Libby have unlimited refills!

The high-tech, tourist Christmas experience was highlighted by a surprise horse-drawn carriage ride through the city center! Our family, nestled in the warmth of a white carriage, meandered in and out of nooks and cranny's. The horse's hooves trampled over old stone streets while modern light displays decorated the streets above our heads. The downtown area, while being a total tourist trap, is a lovely sight to behold. And, speaking of lovely sights, we ate dinner at our favorite Wurstel. This is a little kiosk that sells nothing but wurst (sausages). You can order them with or without a bun ... they are as big as your arm ... and instantly clog your arteries but they are worth every calorie! Oh my ... words can not express ... yum.

While in the city center, we noticed a crowd of people gathering. This was Nicolas who brings goodies for children and leaves them in a boot outside their door. He was passing out goodies. Behind him, priests were gathered to bless children. People crowded around both, in hopes of receiving a free goody bag and a blessing from God via the priests. It was such a blatant reminder of why we live in this city. The general public has no concept of a reachable, touchable God. They don't know that Christmas is a celebration of God sending us His Son ... a tangible and touchable means of knowing God personally. You don't have to wait in a line for a chance and brief encounter. You can know him in the quietness of your heart and speak to Him directly with every breath you take. As you buy gifts and attend parties, don't forget the gift of a relationship, real and tangible ... a real relationship with a holy God ... by way of His Son.

So, this week we plug along ... facing colder temps, a national holiday on Tuesday, and Parker's Christmas concert on Wednesday. Enjoy the season, friends and family! You are loved and especially missed during this festive and reflective time of year!!