Christmas in Mozambique falls in the middle of summer. The temperature can easily top 100 degrees on Christmas Day. So, unlike our winters in Indiana and Oregon, we will not be spending Christmas with sweaters on, and we know for sure it will not be white.

It is hard at times to get in the mood for Christmas because of the hot weather, but playing Christmas music definitely helps. As we learn more about the culture of Mozambique, we try to do things to celebrate the holiday in ways that reflect both countries.

We plan to celebrate Christmas Day similarly to the way we did in the United States, but we won't have all of our family members to share it with. Christmas is really important to our family. It's one of the holidays that bring us together, and we recognize what Christ has done for us. We will go to church and then eat our Christmas meal together with our mission team, who are our family in Mozambique.

Two weeks ago, we performed a Christmas musical for our school, a Christian musical called "Band of Shepherds," and every student in grades 5-12 had a role. We did two performances -- one for parents, families and friends, and the second for an international church in Maputo that has members from several African countries.

"Band of Shepherds" tells the story of Jesus in a fun, contemporary format and really made us think about his birth.

Christmas Day in Mozambique is called "Day of the Fam ily." There are many different religions and nationalities represented in the people of Mozambique.

Our school alone has students from 10 different countries! Many celebrate Christmas, but with some differences. For example, our friends from Brazil celebrate Christmas in a way similar to most people in the United States, but their Santa Claus is called Papai Natal (Papa Christmas).

Regardless of their differences, all people in Mozambique see Christmas as a day for families to come together. For people who are not Christians, they see it as a day to relax with family.

Mozambicans who are Christians see it much as we do -- as a time to celebrate family and the birth of Christ. They go to church on Christmas Day and spend time with their families, but they give few gifts, if any at all. They appreciate the opportunity to spend time with each other.

Mozambicans do give gifts sometimes, but it's usually something needed like clothes, because money is scarce. A Mozambican friend of our family gave gifts to his father and pastor last Christmas. He gave his father a pair of shoes, which cost him about $10. That is a lot here because many Mozambicans make $50 a month, which is the minimum wage. About 70 percent of the people live below the poverty line.

Typically, people in Mozambique will eat a big meal with their families that normally includes rice, beans and bread. They eat meat for special occasions like weddings and holidays, such as Christmas. Meat is expensive. Chicken is most available, then goat and beef.

Most of the dishes at our Christmas dinner with other missionary families will be salads and items that don't require cooking, because Mozambique in December is too warm to spend lots of time in a hot kitchen.

Our Christmas meal will include a turkey, but we cooked it in November and then put it in the freezer.

During the month of December, Mozambicans greet friends with "Boas Festas," which is Portuguese for "Happy Holidays."

When you are greeted this way, it's customary to offer a small gift of something that you have on you, like a coin or piece of candy. Both children and adults participate in this custom, but it's something that is usually done with friends and family and not everyone you pass on the street.

Most Mozambicans don't recognize Santa Claus or other nonreligious Christmas figures. They are very merry people this month, not because they are expecting gifts or treats, but because they think that they should end the year with no conflicts with anyone and start the year off well.