From a CWA Ethiopia family who spent Ethiopian Christmas (January 7) in Ethiopia:

When we realized our January 10th court hearing would put us in Ethiopia over Ethiopian Christmas, we were thrilled.
On our first day visiting Acacia Village, the staff told us there would be a Christmas party the next day. “No pressure to come,” they said. “We know you might want individual time with the children.” But we knew this was something we wouldn’t want to miss, and it didn’t disappoint.

The day of the party, we spent some time with our children and then were told the party was starting. We were there with two other families who were also visiting their children before court, so we all scooped up our little ones and headed over to the large room that functions as a cafeteria. There was a Christmas tree in the corner of the room with presents wrapped in shiny paper underneath. Preparations were already underway for a coffee ceremony. All the toddlers were sitting on a blanket together wiggling with excitement; the older children were up and about, laughing and carrying on about the festivities. Staff from the CWA-Ethiopia office arrived, and I noticed that everyone was smiling. It was truly a joyous scene.
Once everyone was settled, the older children did several skits. To be honest, I can’t really say what most of them were about because they were all in Amharic. But I can say that the children are quite animated and very creative. At one point, Helen (the social worker at Acacia Village) leaned over and whispered to me that they were doing a skit about Jesus casting demons out of people. Not really your typical Christmas skit, but everyone loved it and there were many rounds of applause.
Perhaps my favorite part of the day was when Ben Dalton and Helen read the Christmas story. Ben read it in English, Helen read it in Amharic. It was a beautiful reminder to me that Christ’s birth is hope for all people and transcends all languages, races, ethnicities, and locations. After the reading of the Christmas story, there were Christmas treats for everyone. Cake, coffee, candy, Coke – everything was delicious. I remember looking back at one point to see several of the older boys sitting at a table, each with a glass bottle of orange soda next to their plates of cake. Most of the little ones were thrilled to have a sucker to enjoy.
As the party began to wind down, the children each received two presents to open that day – a traditional outfit and a new pair of shoes. Our son, like many young children, was more interested in the crinkly wrapping paper than his presents. Many of the children put on their traditional outfits.

We left Acacia Village that day feeling like we’d had the celebration we had hoped for when we found out we’d be in Ethiopia for Christmas. While it’s true that no orphanage or even the best transition home can ever be equal to a family, we are thankful for the great care the staff at Acacia Village provide for the children there. It was evident in every detail of this party. We are also thankful for the generous donor who provided the money to give the children presents – shoes, clothing, toys to call their own – this year.
Melkam Gena!

–The Dean Family