Dear Matt,

Hardly will you witness an empty street in this season. Here, every street is filled with people happily spending the night. Colorful lights blink everywhere. It is not yet New Year but one-by-one the fireworks pop up, making colorful sketches against the dark canvas sky.

It is another Christmas with the family. Well, a happy Christmas, I think. There are no snows falling but t’is cold. Every night, the children sing carols from house to house. On their hands are tambourines made of bottle crowns pierced to a wire. Some tap butts of empty cans for a drum and even brought stainless pan covers for cymbals.

See Matt? They make anything for music. They sang carols, not only the pennies they get from homes, but to spend the essence of Christmas. I see it in their eyes.

I hope you are here too…that you could see mom and dad, and taste various meals we often eat this day of the year. That you would sing carols too, and light firecrackers. That you could have at least spent Christmas with me and mom and dad even just once before you could leave.

But I hope not also. Because I believe Christmas is the best there where you are now. Because you are with Jesus—the reason we have Christmas.

Compared to here, how beautiful is Christmas there?

Always yours,

Chamiel