I am not new to missing out on holiday fun while basking in the traditions and fun located in other countries. I have enjoyed Christmas in both the Phillipines and Kenya a few years ago and we spent this year (2015) in the Bahamas, hoping that Santa would still be able to find us.

Missing Christmas at home this year was a conscious decision based mostly on cash flow and timing. We arrived in the Bahamas on Dec 15th and it just didn’t make sense, financial or otherwise, to head back to the States just as we arrived. Weather being what it is, we felt lucky to have made a relatively easy crossing and knew many friends missed the weather window to cross and were stuck in the states a few more weeks waiting on weather. We considered ourselves lucky to have arrived at the turquoise waters and spent the next few weeks ignoring Santa’s impending arrival.

Singing carols in the Bahamian Methodist church on Christmas Sunday was my undoing. I spent the rest of the day crying about random things. Mostly missing Lola, or that is really the only thing I could verbalize when Bo inquired as to what was wrong. I have been a pretty happy camper lately so he was confused as to what may have brought on the crying. I am certain he contemplated buying tickets back home while I mumbled about missing anyone and everything all at once.

In a fit of panic he started crafting.

Nope, I am not kidding. My bestie had mailed me Christmas decor for my birthday (thanks Nicole!!!) and in a momentary genius decision Bo whipped out the Gorilla Glue, the paper ornaments and he started decorating. Honestly – I cracked up laughing. I am certain that will become some our of “first marriage lore” that all couples seem to have. “hey honey, remember that first Christmas when you cried and I had to craft to get you to stop?”

Christmas week continued and we struggled to make and maintain a sense of how/where we wanted to spend the actual Christmas day. Some friends tipped us off to a great Christmas day lunch on a private island at Manjack Cay and somehow we scored an invite. Sometimes it pays to know someone who knows someone….

The invite came along with the question of did I know how to make sweet potato casserole. Because our boat has a hailing port of Alabama – most everyone assumes I am southern. I went with it and assured them sweet potatoes were my thing and planned to google Paula Dean’s best recipe. Next I learned we were cooking for 30+ people, so my 4-5 sweet potatoes weren’t going to cut it. Luckily Theresa (my new buddy) had trained for this event and she trundled out at least 25 sweet potatoes that I could peel, boil, mash, and combine for a casserole. Safe to say Christmas Eve was busy with mashing and peeling and boiling – my tiny galley has never seen that much action!

Christmas Day we did a little exploring and I introduced Bo to all the turtle friends I had found the day before (they are too fast for pictures) and got semi-dressed up for Christmas lunch. We had a delicious buffet with 35 of our newest strangers turned buddies and had a high time. Most of them come every year to this same island and it was fun to hear of their traditions on the island over the years and see them reconnect after many months (years) apart.

The spread was amazing.

Scenery wasn’t bad either.

Desert!

Full plate club

The night was capped off with a Full Moon bonfire on the beach. I maybe further capped it off with a good cry because there was sand in my bed – the horror!! All in all – we survived our first married Christmas, Bo’s first away Christmas, and our first Bahamian Christmas all at once and lived to tell about it!