Christmas on Tarawa

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas holiday season here on Tarawa.  We attended parties with everyone from heads of state to local ward members, Christmas Choir programs to local cultural dance events, Sr Missionary treats to feeding the young and hungry (spelled Elders and Sisters).  It was all fun and contributed greatly to our Christmas Spirit though all the time missing loved ones at home.  Here is a selection to give you some flavor of our efforts. 

Sis Waldron took a few water bottles and worked up some robes for them to create this nativity scene.  All scraps and remnants, she managed to capture the personalities of the characters fairly accurately.

This represents the Maji.  The turban and tunic were curtains last year.  The robe managed to match perfectly.  Looks quite regal, doesn't he? 

There are no pine trees here but this one grows on the island and we cut a few suckers from some growing on the causeway.  They kind of have a piney appearance--long needles.  I cut them up flat on their ends and anchored them to the bottom of the mop bucket.  We put a little water in the bucket to preserve the needles if possible.  We don't know these plants so we'll try and see if this works. 

 It stood up ok and I'm putting the lights on here.  We'll see the finished product below.  It is only a branch (no trunk) so it is flimsy and wants to lean.  

With some of the left over branches and a piece of fencing wire, Sis Waldron created this wreath for the door to our apartment.  Again, a piece of remnant fabric made a nice bow to complete the decoration of our door. 

See it here in perspective with the front of our house.  Note the green bushes and palms in the background.  Yes, this is the tropics.  No white Christmas here. 

This is the tree finished and lit up and taken in the dark.  It cast some interesting shadows and made a fun atmosphere in the living room. 

Here it is in the light so you can see it in all its glory.  Looks every bit the Christmas tree it was intended to be.  Brave little soul. 

Sister Waldron relaxes in front of the, ahem, hearth where stockings are hung with care.

The valence above the front room window is our signature piece.  It will have some fun pattern representing whatever holiday we are celebrating.  Give Sis Waldron a sewing machine and a bunch of scraps and there is nothing she cannot do!! 

Here are some of the homemade ornaments hanging on the tree.  The angel is from doilies we scrounged from the bread saucers at the restaurant in Fiji.  The fan is the wrapper from the butter (aluminum) purchased at the grocery store.  The star is local handicraft and the balls are from Fiji. 

The chain is from potato chip and candy bar wrappers (aluminum again).  Sis Waldron cut them up with her fabric wheel and we "tediously" no, lovingly glued all the links together.   

Of course, we had to have a star at the top and the streams of glory below it are, you guessed it, cut up foil wrapping material.   

On Christmas Eve, Sis Waldron baked and decorated these Christmas Tree sugar cookies.  They were as good as the ones we decorate at home.  

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from

The Waldrons on Tarawa