One of my favorite parts of Villa's hospitality ministry is sharing holiday traditions with our guests. Every year, we host a Christmas Dinner for everyone in the house, and for anyone else who wants to come. Many are Christian, but simply cannot afford to cross the world to join their families for the holidays. Many are not Christian, and so this dinner is often the first impression of the family aspects of Christmas.
This year's dinner served 18 current and former guests. The menu started with a traditional American feast of Turkey, sweet potatoes, rolls and coconut cake, with a few wonderful additions. After comparing what each guest would be eating if they were at home, talk at the table broke into 3 or 4 smaller conversations. While one end of the table was talking about Japanese film and literature, the middle of the table (a virologist from Cameroon, a public health official from China, a psychologist from Taiwan, and a engineering student from the US commonwealth of Saipan) started talking about the Dalai Lama. A common subject, shared by uncommon partners.
While fighting off the coma of a proper feast, some guests helped wash dishes, some put the dining room back in order, and others conspired to stage a karaoke night. Instead of spending Christmas alone and far from home, we joined together for a warm family celebration. Another good night to be at Villa.
Germany, China, Korea, Hong Kong, Portugal, Lebanon, Nigeria, the Caribbean, Bolivia and the US of A. If you had walked past our Villa that night, and looked into our lit-up dining room and seen people from every caste, colour and creed, laughing and complimenting each other with smiles, you would have thought, God, aren’t they having a ball! Why don’t these people run the world - it would be fun! And maybe even felt a pinch in your heart that you’d have liked to be there, too."
