When our daughter was a toddler, we went to spend Christmas with Nora’s family. We flew in the second week of December, and so avoided the Christmas travel price-hike. Her mother had waited for us to set up the tree. However, to our surprise, there were no Christmas trees available anymore. Sales had ceased ‘that close’ to Christmas, and we were fortunate to just find one, as some unsold/ unsellable ‘left-over’ trees were discarded behind a super-market.  

Not so in the Czech Republic. 

I often think of that unusual experience, when Christmas approaches in the Czech Republic. Our first Christmas in the Czech Republic was quite the opposite experience. Until two weeks before Christmas we were not able to find a Christmas tree anywhere. Only about a week before, sales points started to emerge on the street corners. The tradition is to put the tree up in your house on Christmas eve. Still most people buy it late and keep it outside the house (in a garden-shed or on the balcony of their apartment block), and bring it inside, and decorate it on Christmas eve. 

Nora grew up in an ‘early Christmas tree’ tradition, I grew up with later (half-way-December), Christmas tree tradition, or even a ‘NO Christmas tree at all’ tradition, as about half my relatives felt the ‘tree-tradition’ is a heathen originated ‘Christianized’ habit, that ‘good/ real Christians’ abstain from as it distracts from the real meaning of Christmas. On the other hand, I once heard a pastor preach on affirming Christmas traditions with an elaborate tree and presents, a ‘good/ real Christians’ statement against the post-Christian cultural trends. 

  Christmas is meant to be a celebration indeed!

  Not just as a replacement of celebrating lengthening day-light in the Northern  

  Hemisphere after December 21st, but especially of the LOVE OF GOD, for it is written: 

                        “This is how God showed His love:

                        He sent His one and only Son into the world

                        that we might live through Him”. (1.John 4:9) .

Currently global commercialized Christmas business, makes sure you can buy trees at hardware stores at early as late November, even in the Czech Republic now. The tradition of a late tree in this country is shrinking. But in our neighboring apartment block, I did still spot a Christmas tree on the balcony, with only two days left before Christmas. 

This year 2013, we ourselves put a tree up less than a week before Christmas, not thinking of any tradition, but just because we happened to have an unusual busy fall season, and Christmas seemed to arrive quite suddenly this year. Last year we anticipated it, with weeks of writing hard-copy Christmas cards, this year we are thankful for the technological advances of e-mail, enabling us to still send out this journal and greetings in time. 

Our Fall-season in short: After Nora returned from a brief visit to the U.S. in September, we both were for the annual EBF council in Slovakia. Thanks to donations on our ‘specifics’ account at International Ministries, we were able to support a pastor from Syria to attend the council. In October we met with different pastors in Belgium, who expressed their wish for assistance with youth programs. In November Pieter met with the Baptists in Hungary, and visited 8 of the nearly 50 schools throughout the country, that the government put under their supervision (including to provide religious education); and they expressed their wish for help with (English) teachers. Pieter’s computer broke down twice (September and December), so we hope it lasts, until we can replace it next summer. Besides that, Nora directed the fall-Logos-Language center outreach in Prague, assigning students to a few dozen volunteer teachers, and the renovation and opening of our new location. With Individuals, teams, long and short term volunteers in 5 European countries, we thank God for His Blessings on our ministry and our lives this year. Sending His Son, in His Love, making us live through him (1John 4:9). 

May you experience the love of God in special way this year.

Merry Christmas,

Pieter & Nora Kalkman