December 26, 2013 | World Race

A New Christmas Tradition

Meghan Tschanz, of the July 2012 World Race H Squad, spent last Christmas in Malawi, Africa. It wasn’t the typical Christmas she remembered, and it definitely wasn’t the Christmas she expected. But she learned what the day is really all about.

We hope you celebrate today full of love, and we wish you the merriest Christmas.

If you know me you know that I love everything about Christmas, from the special drinks at Starbucks to the houses adorned with glittering lights.

Last year, I spend Christmas in Malawi on the World Race. At first it was difficult to be in Malawi, without a single Christmas decoration in sight. Our team would stay up talking about Christmas and the traditions that we have back home for hours. Everything from cookie contests to chopping down their own trees in the forest.

I listened intently thinking of all the traditions I would bring home to my family and the traditions that I would create with my own children one day.

We found Santa hats and made a makeshift tree, but it still wasn’t the same as the traditions we have back in America.

But out of all the Christmas traditions I could dream up, there is one that I happened upon this Christmas. Divinely appointed, it was more wonderful than all the others and it has the backwards truth of Jesus written all over it.

Jesus was always preaching things that seem to go against human nature… “love your enemy,” “pray for those who persecute you,” and — perhaps my favorite one of all — “it is more blessed to give than receive.”

And here is the thing, none of these suggestions seem to make much sense, especially the latter.

But when you practice these truths, it kind of takes your breath away how beautiful it is.

You never know joy or love or goodness until you start giving or choosing to love when hate would be so much easier. You can live your whole life and never really live until you start loving, especially when it costs you something.

And this Christmas Eve love had a hefty price. It involved giving up Christmas trees, presents, holiday music, snow, family, and friends.

Indeed it cost me everything that most associate with Christmas, but what I found I think was truer to the kind of Christmas Jesus would have wanted.

I spent my Christmas Eve giving manicures and pedicures to orphaned girls. It’s funny because I hate painting my nails. Usually I just swipe it all over my toe and call it good, knowing that it will come off my skin in a couple of days.

But when I painted their nails, I was meticulous. I added little embellishments and sparkles. They would beam up at me, showing that really there was no place they would rather be.

We told them about Christmas in America, and they told us about Christmas in Africa, which is basically a time to eat chicken, something that they don’t get to do the other 364 days of the year.

For that day we were family, laughing, eating ugali, and playing games. As we left it felt like we were leaving bits of our hearts behind. And the same time bringing a bit of them with us.

And here is the truth, this Christmas I learned the most wonderful of lessons. It truly is more blessed to give than receive.

So from now on, I will start a new Christmas tradition of serving and loving, of making family with those who have none.

This, I think, is the kind of Christmas Jesus wants.