A Very Amate Christmas – Chaos, Costco, and Community

Written by Ellie Alberts

‘Twas the night before Amate Christmas, when all through the house,

creatures were stirring, yes, even the mouse.

The stockings were still collecting dust in the basement,

and secret Santa gifts were still at the Amazon carrier station.

But, the Amate fellows were buzzing (quiet? let’s not pretend),

Anticipating a Christmas extravaganza filled with cheer without end

Cozy PJs, gift exchanges, and laughter that never quits

And visions of ten dollar Costco pizza sending us all into fits.

The idea was first presented the month before at a house meeting. We all wanted the opportunity to celebrate Christmas together before we left the house to celebrate the holiday with our families. It didn’t take long to land the perfect plan: Secret Santa exchange, decorating the house, and sharing dinner as a community. The date was set for December 7^th, and we all began brainstorming gift ideas and where we wanted to get our Christmas PJs.

Before we knew it, the Christmas party was upon us. The night kicked off at Costco, where Lizzy, Sarah and I grocery shop every Sunday. The trip was prolonged because we decided to pick up the delicious, 4,000 calorie, Costco pizza. I had a feeling it would be worth the wait when it took a whopping 1 hour for them to make it. I guess that’s what we get for ordering a whole pizza at Costco on Sunday. We should have known.

Even so, we didn’t let this fork in the road derail our night. Once we finally made it back to the house, we all changed into our PJs and got ready to celebrate. As fellows slowly trickled into the kitchen, we assembled our dinner of pizza and salad and indulged in many, many, (many) chips with queso as an appetizer. We eventually all sat down for perhaps my favorite aspect of Amate, dinner time. It was filled with laughs and updates from our weekend apart. Truly, nothing else fills my cup like dinner with these girls.

Once dinner wrapped up, we progressed to our highly anticipated photo session in our Christmas PJs. With no one to take the photo we got creative with a chair, pillows, and Lizzy’s sweatshirt for a makeshift tripod. After a couple explanations of how the timer cam works, some spirited debate over who got to be in the back, and Lizzy running back and forth between the camera and the couch like she was training for a 5K, we finally got a decent photo that everyone was semi happy with. Eureka!

We then moved on to the most anticipated part of the night, the secret Santa gift exchange! We had all spent the past month curating the perfect gift, and a few of us used some interesting tactics to try and figure out who everyone had (cough cough, Lizzy). One by one, gifts were opened, and each reaction was better than the last. A particularly heartfelt moment made us all tear up when Diana surprised Clare with a blessed Prob La Virgen de Guadalupe to add to her office. It is safe to say that none of the gifts given will be re-gifted anytime soon.

Before we knew it, it was time to decorate the house. Sophia, Kenzie, Angeli and I were on tree duty, and it was no feat. Many pieces were stored in separate locations, so a makeshift scavenger hunt ensued as we attempted to assemble it. We untangled miles of lights and took in the rainbow of colors we wrapped around the branches. Our Christmas tree ended up becoming the perfect representation of Amate house—a little crazy but beautiful all the same. It didn’t take long for our house to look like Santa’s workshop, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

To end the night, we gathered with brownies and tea provided by Ziri to begin playing our favorite game. What was once called categories has taken on a new name of charades (pronounced char-awds, courtesy of Kenzie). We all wrote down random objects, actions, or downright diabolical descriptions of anything that popped into our heads. We then broke into teams for three rounds of chaos: describing, acting out, and finally using just one word to help your team guess what’s on each slip of paper.

This game’s comedic factor keeps us coming back to it. Well, that and Kenzie’s oddly creative take on this game. Without fail, “charawds” leaves us laughing until our stomachs hurt and tears are streaming down our faces.

The night will go down in Amate house history as one to remember. It will also be a night I will remember fondly when I look back at my time in this program. With only six months left, my time with these girls already feels limited. I cherish every moment we have together, especially nights like that one. It was chaotic, hilarious, and above all filled with genuine love for each other and what this program means to us. Dare I say it might be remembered as one of my favorite nights in the house? Time will tell. What I do know is that this house, and the women I live with, will mean something to me for the rest of my life.