"Guambiance"

Last night as Joyce and I went out to get a Christmas tree we coined a new word. (At least I think it is a new word. If I heard it before I apologize to the person who thought of it.) We drove through Hotel Row to enjoy the new Christmas light displays. Though there was a lot of traditional Christmas display - reindeer, Santa Claus and elves, Nativity scenes, Christmas stars and winter snow scenes - the displays also worked in coconut trees, latte stones, Santa and elves in tropical wear - shorts and zorries- and starfish. Both of us commented on how much we enjoyed the Christmas season on Guam. There is a traditional, but different, island feel all at the same time. I said, yes, Guam has a very different ambiance and Christmas - in fact it is a "Guambiance."

Here is how I define "Guambiance." Guambiance is the atmosphere that produces the feeling on Guam that "this seems very familiar, but there is something different here." It is produced by the influence of the traditional American/European celebrations with the added influences of Chammorro, Filipino, Micronesian and other Asian and Micronesian cultures. It somehow makes the parts of the celebration that should be out of place on a tropical island seem to fit in perfectly.

I guess the best way to define it is to describe it. Guambiance is ....

Going to get your Christmas tree after an afternoon at the beach, still wearing your swimming stuff...
Playing in the snow, inside the mall...
Hearing familiar Christmas carols in unfamiliar languages...
BBQing your Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner....
Turning up the aircon "so it feels like Christmas."
Riding on a Christmas Carabao ...
Explaining to the procession in your neighborhood that you do not want to "kiss the nino" because you are not Roman Catholic, but giving candy canes to the kids in the procession...
Seeing "sponsored by Miller Lite" signs in people's home Christmas displays...

I could go on and on but you get the picture. It's different, but we love it and would not want to celebrate Christmas any differently (except we'd like to have all our family with us). Please pray with us that more people here will really get to know the Jesus they celebrate this season.