Deck the Harrs...Christmas in Taiwan

Coming to Taiwan, we knew that we would be faced with certain cultural challenges. That is to say, there are certain cultural "givens" in the U.S. that no longer apply to the Taiwan setting. A good example of this is Christmas. In the U.S. the Christmas season usually begins sometime during November and officially after Thanksgiving. Those of us who have spent time in the States know it is coming, we expect it, we feel it in our bones...though the sound of Christmas carols in November may feel a bit early, or like some sort of subliminal message encouraging you to buy something for good ole aunt what's her name, by the second week you know the season has come. All the lights, the songs, the decorations...they may seem like overkill or "commercial"...the truth is, they are part of the culture of Christmas.

In Taiwan they do recognize Christmas. That is to say, there are lights, decorations and even Christmas carols. However, the lights are usually up all year long (as well as Christmas trees in some places) and the carols are...not quite the same. Imagine that you are in a shop looking for a gift for a loved one. You need a push...just a small one, something that will lead your mind away from yourself and into the mindset of shopping for someone else. What you need is a Christmas carol...an old favorite...your ears perk up when you hear familiar notes sounding over the store's PA system. Then...there is a turn, a rather unpleasant one. Yes, in fact that is "Joy to the World" but is that a synthesizer beat? and wait...who is singing this...do they know the words or are they just mumbling something...and yes, it is a medley...a song joined to another by the strong dance beat..."We wish you a melly Chlistmas!"

So that happened at the High Mart last week as Katie and I were shopping for one another. At first it was funny...but the CD was on a loop and after the third or fourth time through (it was about 8 minutes long) we had to leave. We missed Christmas in America. So family and friends, when you read this please know we miss you!

We decided that the first week of December would be the beginning of the Christmas season for us. So when that first weekend came we realized that we needed to decorate our humble apartment to signify the beginning of the season...what we needed was a tree.

So we set out into Hsinchu with a song in our hearts and determination on our faces. Yes...we would find that perfect tree, even if it cost us $2.00. After some considerable effort we managed to find a large cardboard box in front of a store. There among the other imitations lay the one we were looking for: our Taiwan Christmas tree. After some real haggling with the owner, my superior bargaining skills won out and we walked away with a steal and the perfect tree. After fastening it securely to our scooter (and picking out some other ornatments fitting for such a prize) we began the perilous drive home.

Here is the tree tied to the back. Yes...that is a pink plastic bag holding it on...
Here is Katie with the tree on our scooter just moments after our arrival home...t'was a wonderful day!
I was faced then with the challenge that countless other "men of the house" have faced over many a Christmas: How to get the tree through the door, into the elevator, out of the elevator and into my living room. Good thing I am obsecenely strong, handsome and a genius (especially when it involves the physics of transporting Christmas trees across cities, through hallways, into elevators, etc...).

Here are I am carrying the tree effortlessly into our humbly waiting livingroom.
(In case you are wondering...the statement on my shirt comes in the form of a rhetorical question: When the beloved bangbangtang snatched, very angry? Yeah...)

With the tree triumphantly placed in the corner by the window, we proceeded to turn up the Christmas music and then went into a decorating frenzy. This included, but was not limited to cutting our own snowflakes and placing them on the windows as well as the forming of our own Christmas star for the top of the tree. Also, we managed to find some stockings that tied the entire process together in a nice red Christmas bow:

All sarcasm aside, we have done our best to make it feel like Christmas in our home here. The most difficult part has not been the decorating or the music, but just being away from home. Thank you so much to all who sent us gifts...they are all neatly placed under our tree.
Please know that we do miss you all.

The truth is this has been a good reminder of what Christmas is and how we are all joined together by it: That God so loved us all, He did something that only He could do...He came in Jesus Christ, to live the life that we could not, and then to die a death we deserve only to be resurrected so that we might be able to be called children of God.

That being said, "Merry Christmas to All from us in Taiwan!"