it's almost christmas!!!

it seems i'm much more in the christmas spirit here than in the states. probably b/c it's not shoved down my throat since october. i made little christmas goodie bags for each one of my kids--chocopie, a pencil, some stickers, a piece of gum and a sucker. they loved them. even the older kids. i made 70, i'm really glad they liked them. then last night--i still can't believe i did this to tell you the truth--the foreign teachers from my school each had to dress up as santa claus and deliver presents that hte parents had brought in for hte kids. so i went with rebecca and jinny (korean teachers) to 12 different apartments. i had 15 kids total but some were brother and sister. i was amazed at how many were scared of me. i wasnt even wearing a beard! it was obviously me in a huge santa suit. some wouldnt even shake my hand whereas at school they are permantly attached to my leg. weird. outside each apt jinny would light 2 sparklers and rebecca would start the tape player with a horrible version of jingle bells. the kid or a parent would open the door and i would go in first (staying in the doorway of course, not need to take off shoes...) and say MERRY CHRISTMAS--i didn't have the ho ho ho in me after 8 hrs at work--and give the child his/her present frm my big red bag. the mom or dad would take a picture of me doing so and then take another pictuer of the kid with me/us. rebecca would shoot some fake snow at them and then we were off to the next place. another amazing thing to me--only one kids ripped into his present. and that was after i told him to open it. and i wouldnt call it ripping. what sort of 6 year old saves paper?! i STILL rip into my presents--each and every one. and right away too. thats how i've been wearing my vest gramma gave me every day to school! if i would have waited i STILL wouldn't be able to open b/c it's not the magical date. dates are just numbers people! 14 of the kids stood there with their present and looked at me strange while rebecca talked to them or handed the present to their parents. what is that all about?! so i only know that one kid got a chess game. and i could tell that 2 kids got books by how they felt in the wrapping. im just as curious about what other people get as what i get.
after 2 hours--the time flew by, surprisingly--we were done and i went home with a new pair of socks and a cake. came home and drank some beer with beard and keith. watched some john wayne, dispelled some myths/stereotypes of korea and koreans for keith, taught him how to squat, and went to bed.
today i'm thinking of heading downtown for xmas shopping. were going over to bryan and colin's (at least i assume that's still the plan) tomorrow night with tihva, kelly and alexis for a christmas meal and gift exchange. we're all spending the night there and then having a big breakfast on christmas morning. should be a good time.
photos to come!