Update #3 - Christmas Across the Globe

And now....for the third installment of updates from waaaaay back in 2010.

Ah, Christmas. A time of perpetual happiness and joy. A time of giving and receiving. A time of goodness and laughter. A time of vacations from work.

Which of the above do you think I was most looking forward to? Cause let's get real for a second here....a teacher's life is neither glamorous nor rich (in the monetary sense). But the vacations make it all worth it, especially the two weeks off for the Christmas season.

But no, in all honesty, the Christmas season is my favorite time of the year. Everything from the Christmas lights and decorations to the hustle and bustle of the shopping crowds. It's really a great time.

As the countdown began to the big day, I was still in Spain because school continued until December 23rd. Which was fine even considering the fact that I would be cutting it close to get home in time for Christmas (cue Bing Crosby's "I'll be home for Christmas").

The last week of school was actually really fun. Instead of giving real classes, I mostly just talked about Christmas with all the kiddos, painted pictures, played games, sang carols, and just had a good time. And even though we teachers told ourselves it was having fun with the kids in the spirit of Christmas, we really knew that it was because we couldn't have forced them to focus on anything else at the time.

But the kids really were great, and seeing the kids sing "Frosty the Snowman" and "Jingle Bells" was pretty fantastic when you take into account that these are 6 and 7 year olds singing in their second language. It really is amazing to see the kids develop and grow and actually gain skills thanks to the work that I've done with them. Extremely rewarding.

So anyway, along comes December 22nd (I was leaving on the 23rd to fly to the USA) and I realized I still hadn't taken any pictures of the Christmas lights in Madrid. So I braved the cold and the rain and the massive last-minute shopping crowds just to get a few shots of the beauty of the city at Navidad.

Here is a shot of the massive tree in Plaza del Sol, right in the center of the city. And when I say massive, I mean several stories tall. Pretty incredible.

And what would Christmas in Spain be without the Three Wise Men? Kids here don't write letters to Santa, but to the Reyes Magos (Three Wise Men) and parents take their kids to sit on their laps for pictures. Really strange for a foreigner like me who was raised in a Santa culture, but definitely cool.

And here we have the Plaza de Callao, not too far from Sol, with yet another massive tree and even a fake ice skating rink. Which is interesting, because instead of ice there was a plastic covering. Not sure how it worked, but hey, the kids loved it.

Here is Cortylandia, a favorite of all the little Spanish niños. El Corte Inglés is a famous store in Spain where you can buy absolutely anything you need. Every year they make this massive display for the kids and parents bring their kids to the store just to see the show. It may not look like it in the picture, but the stage and statues are several stories tall.

And one last shot of the Christmas lights over Calle Mayor. These are my favorite lights in the entire city because they stretch the entire length of the street. Really beautiful.

So after my stint walking around and enjoying the lights, I then realized that it was nearing midnight and I was leaving the next morning.....and still hadn't packed. Typical Jordan style. And basically that meant that I got home with a suitcase full of completely random stuff, most of which I ended up leaving at home.

But I was extremely lucky to make it home with no delays and no problems, which is very rare for me. I almost never make it home without delays and cancellations, so I'll just chalk it up to a Christmas blessing that I made it home on time as planned.

Now, one of the things I always look forward to upon arriving in the good old USofA is having my Mom there to greet me at the gate. Because it's always a guaranteed crying-fest and it warms my heart. haha But I was really looking forward to getting home and seeing everyone, because unlike many people out there, I'm lucky enough to have an awesome family who I love spending time with. As crazy and weird as we all are, it's always guaranteed fun when we get together.

Since I didn't get into Dallas until after 9 at night, that meant I didn't get home until after midnight. Which meant as soon as I got home, I went straight to bed to sleep off the nearly 24 hours of travel that I had just finished. But the next day, the festivities began.

Christmas Eve is when my family usually exchanges presents, so as soon as I woke up on the 24th, this little guy pictured above was waiting for me to help tear into some gifts. My nephew Colt it my little sidekick every time I go home and it amazes me how much he has grown over my time in Spain. When I first came to Spain in August of 2009, he was so small and still very much in the toddler phase. Now I can carry on a full conversation with the kid and it's always a guaranteed laugh. And teaching 1st and 2nd graders have left me equipped with just the right conversation topics to really fit right in with him.

Of course my Mom is a proud Nonni to the little kids. And she is always ready and prepared to pose for a photo. So here she is with my nephew and Mickey in the background.

And here we have my other nephew, Cade, who is around 9 months old with my Dad and my grandma in the corner. This is another kid that I'm shocked and amazed at how big he is. When I left just this summer he was still tiny and in that boring-but-cute phase. Now he's so expressive and developing his personality. I can only imagine what he'll be like when I see him in the summer.

And here I am jamming out with my brother and sister-in-law. The nightlife in Oklahoma might not be quite the same as the nightlife in Madrid, but it's still a good time.

And one last picture of Colt jamming out on the drums.

So, not to get too serious or sappy on here, let's just suffice to say that I had a fantastic time at home. And it went by WAY too fast. But as always, it just showed me that, although it always hard to leave, I always have a great place to go home to.