Natnael, 6, had never heard "The Gingerbread Man" before, nor eaten one with raisin buttons.

But most everything these days is a first for Natnael -- including Christmas.

Eight months ago, Natnael was living in an orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

He had been begging on the streets to support his family. His father had died. And his mother could not afford to raise him and his younger brother.

Last December, she put them up for adoption, keeping their older sister with her.

Shortly after they arrived at the orphanage, Natnael's 1-year-old brother died of sepsis -- bacteria in the bloodstream.

Natnael mourned for his brother, but living in the orphanage brought some relief. There was food and nannies who doted on him.

Last spring, the Romaine family -- Craig, Susan and their children Andrew, 14, and Catherine, 11 -- was matched with Natnael through an adoption agency. Within months, the family flew to Addis Ababa to adopt Natnael.

They met with Natnael's mother, who agreed to the adoption because the Romaines promised to give her son a good education.

In August, Natnael entered first grade at Carrboro Elementary School. He now speaks English and aces his spelling tests, including the optional challenge words, like parallelogram.

He celebrated the Fourth of July at the beach. He was baptized Roman Catholic in August. He wore a Spider-Man costume for Halloween and discovered M&M's.

Although Natnael has embraced U.S. culture, he still has a strong affection for Ethiopia. In October, the family traveled to Washington for a family reunion, and happened upon the Marine Corps Marathon finish line. Natnael saw an Ethiopian man win the 26.2 mile race and was beside himself with pride.

In a recent school essay contest, Natnael was asked how he could make a difference.

When he grows up, he wrote, he wants to help someone in Ethiopia by sending money for food, a house and medicine.

Since moving here, he has written his mother in Ethiopia five times. The first four letters were in Amharic. The last was in English, and he included photos of him being baptized and playing soccer.

His mother wrote back once, expressing deep gratitude for the opportunities he is getting.

Some children in Natnael's school are curious about why he is black and his mother, who volunteers in the class, is white. Natnael reminds his family that skin color does not matter.

As he described a UNC basketball player one day, Susan Romaine wasn't sure which player her son was talking about. So she asked, is he black or white?

"Well, we're not black or white," Natnael told her. "We're all just people."

This month the Romaines prepared for their first Christmas with Natnael.

As they decorated their Christmas tree in their Lake Hogan Farms home, Natnael hung all the sports-themed ornaments. He was less interested in the ornaments with themes such as the biblical Noah and the ark.

And, of course, the Romaines introduced Natnael to the idea of Santa Claus coming down the chimney late on Christmas Eve.

"He was on top of this in no time," Susan Romaine said. "Especially the idea of Santa leaving presents."

Natnael wrote a letter to Santa asking for a small basketball hoop, Legos and a Ben 10 wristband, like the one the cartoon hero uses to turn himself into alien creatures.

Then last week, Natnael's class decorated gingerbread men with icing and gumdrops. Natnael tasted molasses cookies for the first time. He went home and told his mother he wanted to make more.

After all the presents were unwrapped, Natnael would have many more firsts with his new family. Another big one is right around the corner: His seventh birthday on Jan. 2.