The thing with family vacations is that they are seldom as perfect as you plan them to be, but in the end they add a bunch of stuff to the memory vault that you will share forever – funny stuff and irritating stuff and crappy stuff and amazing stuff.  Stuff that only this particular group of people can share.  It’s YOUR stuff.  That is what makes a rewarding family life – and as Hollywood has already discovered, vacations seem to produce more stuff than any other time.

Christmas week with our daughters here in Bucerias was mostly great.  But when we remember the Christmas of 2016, we won’t remember the perfect weather, the beautiful days at the pool and beach, the sweet children at the orphanage, or the delicious street food.

These are the things we’ll remember:

• The stuff we lost:
  • The prescription sunglasses
  • The purse with the IPhone and credit card
  • The necklace just purchased at the market
  • The keys to the car and house
• The stuff we felt:
  • The food poisoning
  • The busted up toes from surfing
  • The cold sore
  • The itchy head
• The stuff we chased:
  • The lice
  • The maggots
  • The ants
• The stuff we heard:
  • The chickens
  • The dogs
  • The goats and parrots and roosters and sheep
  • The unending fireworks

Those are the things we will laugh about together for a long time – kind of like the Las Vegas vacation where the car overheated the whole trip and we had to drive with wet towels on our heads,  or the Disneyland vacation where we ate nothing but 39 cent McDonalds cheeseburgers and Taco Time because we really couldn’t afford that trip at all.

But we also had some sweet moments together this week and one of my favorites was the day we played together and danced together with our Manos de Amor children.  I hope we’ll remember that afternoon too, because life must have some gentle moments to offset the harsh ones.  Some joy to offset the pain.  Some laughter to offset the puking!

Adios my lovely daughters Meigan and Brett – safe travels and come back soon. We definitely have more memories to create.  Hasta pronto mis hijas bonitas!

PS.  In case I’ve scared you away from ever visiting us, let me assure you that the maggots are gone, the lice are gone and the smuggled box of Borax took care of the ants – they’re gone too!

Christmas looks very different here in Mexico.  I mean it physically looks different.  Having grown up in Saskatchewan my entire life, Christmas just comes with snow.   Christmas lights glitter against the frosty trees and fireplaces glow as a backdrop for our giant puzzles and games of scrabble.   I have spent the past few Christmases here in Mexico so I am getting used to palm trees and beaches – but it doesn’t feel quite the same.  Last night Christmas felt a bit like home.

Daniella & Grant

After spending most of the afternoon playing games with the dozen children who were still at the orphanage, we returned in the evening for a family Christmas evening.  We pulled the couches around the giant donated TV, popped some popcorn, turned off all the lights and cuddled together to watch a movie about the true story of Christmas – the birth of baby Jesus.  Daniella was tucked tightly under my arm and she was engrossed with the story – especially excited when the angels appeared.  As we watched, I realized that THIS FELT LIKE CHRISTMAS.   At one point, Daniella looked out the open doorway – no frosty glass blocks our view here – and pointed at a super bright star.  “Mira – la Estrella!”  Look.  The Star.   When baby Jesus was finally born, the children all applauded.  This is what Christmas is about.  Knowing that Jesus was born to care for the ‘least of these’.  Knowing that we get to share in the journey with him as we care for these little ones.

Me and Perla… who used to be Mona

Of course, like every family every soft special moment is interspersed with the ‘real’ moments.  Under my other arm was mischievous Perla (My name is Perla now…. I was Mona when I was little…consider myself scolded).  She was busy pouring chili on her popcorn and you just know that’s going to go bad!

Jessica & Geraldine

Today my own daughters will be here.  Our Swanson family Christmas will begin. Most of our traditions have changed now.  There will be no tobogganing, no hash brown casserole, no quiche, no grandparents or extended family.  Our stack of gifts will be much smaller.

But the essence has not changed.   Baby Jesus will still guide our way and the star will remind us of that first simple Christmas.  Meigan and Brett will join us at the orphanage to play with their ‘siblings’.  And Brett will probably beat us in a game of Scrabble Slam …. Cause that’s just what we Swanson’s do.

Merry Christmas from Santa Samantha

Have a blessed Christmas Eve my friends!