Ok, the lack of a Christmas tree is my fault. I really didn't feel like going through all the trouble of setting it up (and then putting it away) being that we won't even spend Christmas here since my parents will be spending it in the States with my other siblings. But the rest isn't. :D
We did stick to one of our Christmas traditions, though, and took the girls to see the lights at the Praça da Liberdade. Oh right, and we made cookies. Although this year we did something different and made them for the kids at the nearby orphanage.
The girls and I took the cookies there today, along with a bunch of books and toys we'd separated for them. The kids absolutely loved them and were oohing and ahhing over the christmasy shapes. When we left Laurie said (translation): "We made the kids happy, didn't we? Because the cookies were veeeeery yummy!" She gave her school bag as well (since it'll be too small for next year) and told the guy who was showing us around, "I used it every day this year. Now one of the kids can use it every day, too."
There were quite a few babies, mostly newborn. On our way home Alina, out of the blue, says, "When I grow up, I want to adopt a little baby orphan." So sweet. I think it has to do with the fact that she's rereading the complete series of Anne of Green Gables, and if I'm not mistaken, Anne's daughter, Rilla, adopts a baby during/after the war, something like that.
To protect the children's identity, we weren't allowed to take pictures (some of them come from abusive homes and are waiting to be sent to relatives), but this visit has been the highlight of our Christmas season so far. The girls have so much! They go to a super good school, have a loving family, a roof over their heads, an abundance of food, etc. I want them to realize that and learn to reach out to those less fortunate. Not just at Christmas, of course.
No comments:
Post a Comment