In my family it's a Christmas tradition to do Secret Santa. We pick names out of a hat with not only our immediate family but with our extended family as well. You are only allowed to make it, or exchange it, BUT you cannot buy it. This allows everyone to get pretty creative and give some really nice and thoughtful gifts. When I was younger I hated it because I just wanted to buy it and not spend anytime making it, but now I've come to appreciate and love this idea so much more. My family has exchanged such more meaningful gifts over the years to each other rather than just buying it at a store.
Even though I was in Korea my mom still included me in the whole secret santa process and put my name in the hat and also sent me the secret santa that was picked for me by my dad's secretary so noone would see. I had gotten my grandma for secret santa. She is the kind of person who you could give a small piece of chocolate to and she would think it is the best gift in the world because she is just that kind of person. She has always gone above and beyond for all her grandchildren. Always sending us her homemade mac n' cheese at college that literally became famous among half of the campus. She always sends us cards for every single holiday and shows up to every single soccer game or event we had growing up. She never missed anything and would come with a big smile, her camera and of course, some of her delicious cooking. Needless to say, I really wanted to do something special but was having trouble with it because I couldn't buy it.
I thought of so many different ideas to send her from Korea, but then I thought about what makes me the happiest here that I can't buy? Then it clicked, my students. My students give me the best gift of all every day in the classroom. So I decided I would have them write her Christmas letters this year. Well, I think I enjoyed it more than anyone in the world could. All I did was give them a choice between red or green Christmas paper and told them to fold it in half like a card and let them go from there. I told them I would mail their letters to my Gradma in America and they went nuts with that idea.
The next think you know they had scissors, glue sticks, and tape out and were cutting their cards into Christmas trees and taping on coins, coffee and tea to their cards. I was loving watching every second of it. If I could have saved those cards forever and not have passed them on I would have because some of the things they wrote were priceless. I had about 6 classes with about 40-45 students in each so I then had them also write my entire family and some friends Christmas letters too because they were having so much fun with it. (okay, so was I.) These examples below don't do the cards justice but just so you can get a sense of what some of them wrote...(if only you could see the drawings and handwriting of them...)
"Dear John and Meg. Hello? John and Meg. My name is Lee seaung Jun. I am sheila's student.
John. you look very handsome, you look like actor. Can you come to Korea to meet me? can I come to your house? Oh! sorry Meg. meg you look pretty. I like baseball do you? What do you want for Christmas? Please write me back. Frome, Charse by by!
"John? oh-John. Hello? My name is Kim Min Jea. I'm Kyung Ahm MIddle School students. It's new york very beautiful. New york very interesting. Your Shila father? Wow. Very good. New york explain. Pleaese~! Ah! I like U.S.A. singer Greenday! and England David Beckham. You too? Please~write me back! Good bye handsom gui John. Your phon number? ha ha.
(UMM THEN THIS STUDENT DREW A PIC OF MY DAD ON THE BACK OF THE CARD! and wrote "it's John! Very Handsome! white christmas!" HAHAHAHAHAHA I CAN'T HANDLE SOME OF THEM.
"dear John and Meg, Hellow, my name is Yong Jun Lee. I am sheila's student. I'm boy. can you come to Korea to meet me? I want tvisit your house but it's too far. Mr . John is so handsome. You looks very kind and Mrs. Meg is so pretty mother. Your daughter Sheila was very kind and beautiful and wonderful and smart teacher. Mr. John and Mrs. Meg Merry Christmas and have a good time. Please write me back. good bye." (haha they are too cute!)
"dear trach, Hi tracy? My name is Kim Young huan. I go to kyung ahm middle school. I am sheila's student. um.....can you come to korea? I sorry, i mean hope to meet you. This Christmas is very happy. You happy to Christmas? By the way, do you like playing? I like playing very much? But I don't like exercise, haha. last, what do you want for Christmas? I want computer. Wish you well. Good bye~~"
This one was too cute...
"Dear Sara, Hello. My name is ae Jin on, I am sheila's student. Well...Sheila Teacher very pretty and funny. I saw you in the pictures. Sheila showed them to us. You are beautiful. I don't like English but thanks to Sheila I like English very much. Her class is very fun and interesting. I like it. Will you come to Korea to meet me? I don't have much time. sorry ^^ bye!"
"Dear mary, hello my name is Su-Hyun. I am sheila's student. Sheila is beautiful and kind...I am from Korea. Will you come meet me? I'll always remember sheila teacher and you.
-Suhyun
"Dear marry, Hi~ My name is Hye Ju Lee! Nice to meet you...!! Ymmm, I was surprised that I saw your picture. very very was envy yu. I hope that you will be happy and have a good time on Christmas Day. Actually, I do not know you well, but I am happy that I know you through this chance. And I am poor at English. So I am not sure I can express my feelings to you. Anyay I want you to understand what I mean. Always smile-ha-ha. 2010.10.13 Monday! ByeA!!"
To John and Meg
Hellg! My name is Jung Ji bye. I am sheila's student. I gave sheila a Christmas card because when she saw my card first she told me that it was beautiful. And will you come meet me in Korea? I hope you come to Korea especially my hometown daegu where is one of the most beautiful and biggest cities in Korea. And..I love you! Bye bye!
"Hello, Merry Christmas? Johe and Meg (dad she spelled your name like that haha)
My name is Choi Keum Yi. I am sheila's student<3 Sheila is so beautiful and cute and sheila is very good teacher and so kindly. Will you meet me please? Johe and Meg I want your cook chicken or cake? Many student with sheila so very happy. I am happy now in her class. I make you sweet cake. Blow out andles and make a wish. I draw you christmas tree. Welcome to korea! Merry Christmas."
(Okay I could go on forever! But i'll leave you with one last one...)
"Merry Christmas--dear sara! Hi my name is Hyun Ju. I'm sheila's student. I'm in the first year. Sheila is berry beautiful, you too. You so beautiful. Nive to meet you...sorry I am not english berry well. but you can understand. How are you doing? I am tired and you? I am study hard because we have soon test. Humm....I will go to America! Can I come to your house?? I would like to ride a bike with you!!! and I hope to go shpping and have a big dinner with you~ Will you come meet me? with your family ? umm....good bye~ Happy Christmas, I Love You!~ from Hyun Ju"
Even though I was in Korea my mom still included me in the whole secret santa process and put my name in the hat and also sent me the secret santa that was picked for me by my dad's secretary so noone would see. I had gotten my grandma for secret santa. She is the kind of person who you could give a small piece of chocolate to and she would think it is the best gift in the world because she is just that kind of person. She has always gone above and beyond for all her grandchildren. Always sending us her homemade mac n' cheese at college that literally became famous among half of the campus. She always sends us cards for every single holiday and shows up to every single soccer game or event we had growing up. She never missed anything and would come with a big smile, her camera and of course, some of her delicious cooking. Needless to say, I really wanted to do something special but was having trouble with it because I couldn't buy it.
I thought of so many different ideas to send her from Korea, but then I thought about what makes me the happiest here that I can't buy? Then it clicked, my students. My students give me the best gift of all every day in the classroom. So I decided I would have them write her Christmas letters this year. Well, I think I enjoyed it more than anyone in the world could. All I did was give them a choice between red or green Christmas paper and told them to fold it in half like a card and let them go from there. I told them I would mail their letters to my Gradma in America and they went nuts with that idea.
The next think you know they had scissors, glue sticks, and tape out and were cutting their cards into Christmas trees and taping on coins, coffee and tea to their cards. I was loving watching every second of it. If I could have saved those cards forever and not have passed them on I would have because some of the things they wrote were priceless. I had about 6 classes with about 40-45 students in each so I then had them also write my entire family and some friends Christmas letters too because they were having so much fun with it. (okay, so was I.) These examples below don't do the cards justice but just so you can get a sense of what some of them wrote...(if only you could see the drawings and handwriting of them...)
"Dear John and Meg. Hello? John and Meg. My name is Lee seaung Jun. I am sheila's student.
John. you look very handsome, you look like actor. Can you come to Korea to meet me? can I come to your house? Oh! sorry Meg. meg you look pretty. I like baseball do you? What do you want for Christmas? Please write me back. Frome, Charse by by!
"John? oh-John. Hello? My name is Kim Min Jea. I'm Kyung Ahm MIddle School students. It's new york very beautiful. New york very interesting. Your Shila father? Wow. Very good. New york explain. Pleaese~! Ah! I like U.S.A. singer Greenday! and England David Beckham. You too? Please~write me back! Good bye handsom gui John. Your phon number? ha ha.
(UMM THEN THIS STUDENT DREW A PIC OF MY DAD ON THE BACK OF THE CARD! and wrote "it's John! Very Handsome! white christmas!" HAHAHAHAHAHA I CAN'T HANDLE SOME OF THEM.
"dear John and Meg, Hellow, my name is Yong Jun Lee. I am sheila's student. I'm boy. can you come to Korea to meet me? I want tvisit your house but it's too far. Mr . John is so handsome. You looks very kind and Mrs. Meg is so pretty mother. Your daughter Sheila was very kind and beautiful and wonderful and smart teacher. Mr. John and Mrs. Meg Merry Christmas and have a good time. Please write me back. good bye." (haha they are too cute!)
"dear trach, Hi tracy? My name is Kim Young huan. I go to kyung ahm middle school. I am sheila's student. um.....can you come to korea? I sorry, i mean hope to meet you. This Christmas is very happy. You happy to Christmas? By the way, do you like playing? I like playing very much? But I don't like exercise, haha. last, what do you want for Christmas? I want computer. Wish you well. Good bye~~"
This one was too cute...
"Dear Sara, Hello. My name is ae Jin on, I am sheila's student. Well...Sheila Teacher very pretty and funny. I saw you in the pictures. Sheila showed them to us. You are beautiful. I don't like English but thanks to Sheila I like English very much. Her class is very fun and interesting. I like it. Will you come to Korea to meet me? I don't have much time. sorry ^^ bye!"
"Dear mary, hello my name is Su-Hyun. I am sheila's student. Sheila is beautiful and kind...I am from Korea. Will you come meet me? I'll always remember sheila teacher and you.
-Suhyun
"Dear marry, Hi~ My name is Hye Ju Lee! Nice to meet you...!! Ymmm, I was surprised that I saw your picture. very very was envy yu. I hope that you will be happy and have a good time on Christmas Day. Actually, I do not know you well, but I am happy that I know you through this chance. And I am poor at English. So I am not sure I can express my feelings to you. Anyay I want you to understand what I mean. Always smile-ha-ha. 2010.10.13 Monday! ByeA!!"
To John and Meg
Hellg! My name is Jung Ji bye. I am sheila's student. I gave sheila a Christmas card because when she saw my card first she told me that it was beautiful. And will you come meet me in Korea? I hope you come to Korea especially my hometown daegu where is one of the most beautiful and biggest cities in Korea. And..I love you! Bye bye!
"Hello, Merry Christmas? Johe and Meg (dad she spelled your name like that haha)
My name is Choi Keum Yi. I am sheila's student<3 Sheila is so beautiful and cute and sheila is very good teacher and so kindly. Will you meet me please? Johe and Meg I want your cook chicken or cake? Many student with sheila so very happy. I am happy now in her class. I make you sweet cake. Blow out andles and make a wish. I draw you christmas tree. Welcome to korea! Merry Christmas."
(Okay I could go on forever! But i'll leave you with one last one...)
"Merry Christmas--dear sara! Hi my name is Hyun Ju. I'm sheila's student. I'm in the first year. Sheila is berry beautiful, you too. You so beautiful. Nive to meet you...sorry I am not english berry well. but you can understand. How are you doing? I am tired and you? I am study hard because we have soon test. Humm....I will go to America! Can I come to your house?? I would like to ride a bike with you!!! and I hope to go shpping and have a big dinner with you~ Will you come meet me? with your family ? umm....good bye~ Happy Christmas, I Love You!~ from Hyun Ju"
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