'Tis the Season - To Dress Your Best

Last Christmas I had the "pleasure" of shopping for 26 children as discussed in a previous blog. But there was one saving grace...All the boys wanted black pants, white dress shirts and a tie. Well, this certainly made things easier than if they all wanted completely different things. Needless to say I managed to find black pants, white dress shirts and a tie for all 14 boys. I couldn't wait until Christmas morning when they would get dressed up in their nice clothes to head to church looking smart.

In all the excitement of Christmas and upon seeing all the other gifts they received that day, the boys were less than thrilled about their formal attire, and dressed in everything but their church clothes that morning. The picture says it best. The girls, as usual, where another story. The girls all wanted white dresses for Christmas. This is where I drew the line. If there is one color that should not be worn in Uganda it is white. The dark soil, dry seasons, and hand washing make cleanliness impossible and the clothes look ratty in weeks. But each girl received at least one lovely dress and another lovely outfit for church.

First, making sure the clothing was appropriate and all knees where hidden from view, the girls changed their clothes regularly, donned their jewelry and shades, and walked around like divas for days.