Papa Panov

This year I had my second only ever northern hemisphere Christmas. The first one was in Japan (long time ago now), and was a pretty special day for me as I woke up to a 'winter wonderland'... the first snow fall of the year. It was soft and deep and incredibly beautiful and rather than being home sick I was in a small village at the foot of a mountain feeling quite awestruck. Being in Hong Kong for Christmas has been special for a different reason. People! As the snow reflected the beauty and wonder of the One who sent it... so the people here have reflected Him to me this year and especially this Christmas.

Last Saturday evening we were treated to a premier performance of the apparently well-known Christmas musical, "Papa Panov" by Leo Tolstoy, with an international cast of children from our very own school, our director Mal as Papa Panov and his wife Sal as narrator as well as an international band of musicians!



It was a stunning performance, thoroughly enjoyed by all. If you don't know the Papa Panov story, (as I didn't), you can read it here. For the complete album of photos, click here.

Papa Panov was followed by dinner a la delicious with ham and baked veges and many a dessert from the hands of our own talented team members. After dinner Helen Mottee and her good friend Shelley did a performance of sorts. Helen played and sang while Shelley drew... kind of Rolph Harris style, where an image slowly emerges from seeming blobs of nothing.







It was even more amazing when an ultra-violet light was shone on the finished product to reveal parts of the picture that were hidden in normal light.



And then we had the pressie frenzie to beat all pressie frenzies... Not even an extended Hopkins family get together pressie frenzie could compare to this. We were each requested to buy a HK$5 gift (approx 75c AUD) for every other person on team that would be present on the night which was 63 people. (Crossroads covered the cost so that no-one would miss out or feel that they couldn't afford to participate). Some teamed up with others and pooled their money to buy more 'expensive' gifts, but in the end there were a LOT of gifts exchanged. Each of us was given a sack with our names on it to collect up the bounty and then it was a good 45 minutes of shouting each others names in order to give each present to the right person. I was so caught up in the moment I forgot to take pictures but it was truly an experience and the intention to make each person feel special and 'showered' with gifts while away from home was well achieved. It was great fun! Here's a post-pressie-frenzie pic...



On Christmas day we had a birthday party for the One who makes Christmas Christmas with a time of sharing what we each would like to give to Him this year... and then naturally... FOOD!! Most of us have this week off up until the 2nd, so it's a time of rest and hanging out with friends... catching up on emails and blogging... and a bit of pottering around the house. How that floor shines!

May the new year bring many good things your way as you say goodbye to 2007! (Remember you can see a larger version of any of the above photos by clicking on them).