Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree!

So here's the thing. 

our family is super asian. 

and in Korea Christmas just isn't as huge as it is in America. {at least it wasn't when my parents were growing up}

When we were little we had this huge christmas tree (actually it was only 4ft tall..but it just seemed ginormous because Sonhee and I were (and are) so short).

But when we moved to California we had to leave lots of stuff behind and give away stuff to DI because we had so much stuff. So the Christmas tree was one of the first things to go. And then we had to live in this super tiny apartment in California, so we didn't bother setting up another tree because it just took up so much space! {i know some of you are probably gasping at the fact that we didn't have a Christmas tree for like 5 years.. but for us, it's was nbd :P }

Eventually {like 2 years ago} or something, my mom bought a christmas tree and decorated it and everything because we had finally settled into our house. 

This year, my mom made a special effort to be more Christmas-y so that Max felt more at home while spending the Holidays with us. 

Photo: December 21, 2012. California :)

our lil korean ornaments :)

look at that cute face ;)

sometimes i look like a monkey...

candid!

Our first christmas together. 2012. 

Part of my Jerusalem Olive Wood Nativity set. There's like 10 more pieces but I thought I'd take some artsy pictures with the most important ones :)

So Max is in the process of learning Korean. He's actually quite fast at catching onto things {especially since he's already fluent in Spanish}. It also helps that both of my parents work as Korean Language Instructors, so they're naturals at the whole teaching thing. 

Me on the other hand...well I never really sat down and learned Korean grammar. I know how to speak it correctly {for the most part}. But when Max asks me why something is said in this way or why some object marker is included/excluded I just tell him I have no idea. It's just how it is. It's kind of how most Americans (myself included) don't know how to explain grammar to other people. {unless you're like an english major or something...}

Because of my lack of Korean teaching skills, Max takes advantage of the time we're in California to learn as much as he can. And my mom absolutely adores Max and loves spending time trying to talk to him in Korean. It's pretty much awesome. 

Photos: December 22, 2012. Christmas in California.

One day I hope that Max will be able to speak fluently, so that we can teach our kids Korean. I know it's gonna be hard, but I think it's something that I'd really like my kids to have! I'm so grateful that my parents tried so hard to teach us Korean because it's been such a blessing! 

ilovebeingkorean. ilovemyhome. ilovemyfamilhee. ilovechristmas. :)