Expat Fever
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Expat Fever! Blog
  • Mailing List
  • Store

An ACTUAL School Christmas Play--something I never thought I would see again

12/22/2016

 
Picture
I saw something amazing last night at our son's school--an actual Christmas play in an elementary school, complete with angels, 3 wise men, and a sniffling, grinning, Saint Joseph blowing his nose throughout the performance.

My wife and I grew up in an era (the late Seventies, to be exact--God, I feel old saying that!) where Christmas plays and Christmas pageants were commonplace. Now they have all but dissapeared from American schools. 

In 2015, the year we finally decided to "pull the plug" and permanently expatriate, our eldest son's school had done away with all  holiday celebrations--no Christmas trees, no Menorahs or mentions of Hanukkah, no holiday decorations would be allowed.

​Some vague mentions of snowmen and candy canes were permitted, but even that was an anemic attempt not to offend the sensibilities of a few screeching parents that want to ruin the holidays for all the kids, come hell or high water.

So there were no more nativity scenes, no more Christmas plays, no more parades. The kids just went home on "Holiday Leave" and that was it.

Now, we didn't leave California because of this--we mainly left because it was impossible to afford our health care, housing, and still have enough money left over to feed ourselves. LIving on the beach was an impossible dream for us there, so we left. It was primarily an economic decision--BUT, now that we our outside California, it has become apparent how much we were missing (not just in terms of money) but of family, community, and parts of our own upbringing that we thought were lost forever. 

And now we are here, in Mexico, surrounded by Christmas lights, Christmas trees, nativity scenes, and, yes, even in this predominatnly Christian country, I've even seen a few proud Menorahs!

And nobody gets offended by seeing a nativity, nobody is getting attacked for saying "Merry Christmas" and everyone is happy and glad. And best of all--the kids love it. The magic of Christmas isn't dead. It's still alive everywhere, and you just have to look to find it.

Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    No website or company has paid a fee to be mentioned in this blog. Any suggestions you see are based solely on our own experiences and personal preferences.

    About Us

    Just a middle-class dad and mom with three young kids, looking to escape the rat race. This is our journey!

    If you have a question for us, please contact us directly using our email here. 

    Categories

    All
    Acapulco
    Bacalar
    Baja
    Border Crossing
    Cabo San Lucas
    Cancun
    Central America
    Costa Rica
    Digital Nomad Visas
    Ecuador
    Expat Jobs
    Expat Stories
    Guanajuato
    International Schools
    Isla Mujeres
    Kindle Books
    La Paz
    List Of Schools
    Los Cabos
    Manzanillo
    Mayan Ruins
    Panama
    Playa Del Carmen
    Puerto Escondido
    Quintana Roo
    Reader Questions
    Rentista Visa
    Retire Abroad
    Retirees In Mexico
    Retiree Visas
    San Jose Del Cabo
    Shipping Cars To Mexico
    Snowbirds
    Taxes For Expats
    Tulum

    Archives

    March 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    April 2022
    December 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    April 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    May 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014

Home
Contact
About us
Join our mailing list
Our Expat Blog 
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Expat Fever! Blog
  • Mailing List
  • Store