Our very first Christmas. I'm not even sure Vietnamese people even put up Christmas trees in Vietnam, but our sponsors made sure we had one. I guess this picture must hve been take before or after Christams because there are no presents under the tree. In fact, I guess there were never any presents under the tree that Christmas. Any real presents that is. I remember wrapping empty boxes and placing them underneath the tree so that it would look like our family was in step with the holiday, and I guess because our sponsors were coming over to visit as well. I never asked my parents why we did it...perhaps it was to please the sponsors or pershps something else entirely...?

Some of the items in the photo we still have today, over seventeen years later. The yellow blanket draping the couch, ragged with age, is stuffed in our linen closet. The flowery bedspread is still put to good use. The ornements are lost somewhere in our basement, but thank goodness we don't have the clothes anymore...