Christmas & New Year's (Live from Taiwan.)

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The two weeks before Christmas brought with them great sadness. I felt so homesick and spent much of my time longing for the comforts of home - my family, friends, American food, hot chocolate on a cold winter day, peppermint candy canes, Christmas trees, lights adorning the houses, etc. It was a depressing time for me and many other foreigners in Taiwan. The Christmas music plays here in every store, and decorations are everywhere....yet, it doesn't seem the same. I don't think people in Taiwan really understand the meaning of Christmas. But, how many of us in America really understand? I think the meaning of Christmas has become so distorted in America; it's no wonder that people in Taiwan don't understand it. Christmas is about Santa and presents, right?

Although I won't pretend that I know what the true meaning of Christmas is for everyone, I will tell you what the true meaning of Christmas is for me. For me, family has always been the most important part of Christmas. Every Christmas Eve prior to this one, I have been with my parents and my "little" brother Andrew. Knowing that I would not be with them for Christmas made me sad, but it also helped to remind me of how fortunate I am to have such a wonderful family. I am blessed in so many ways, and I often (even at Christmas) take that for granted. I have often heard that "absence makes the heart grow fonder." I think I would say that absence helps one to be more appreciative, but I hope this appreciation can stay with me every day of every year. It's cheesy, but true 😊

This year, I realized how important friends are during Christmas. My friends Brent and Tammy hosted a wonderful dinner party for 15 people on the Sunday before Christmas. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the magnificent table of food. We had turkey, chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy, and even cranberry sauce! Although I was the only Western woman out of 9 women there, I felt like I was back home. My friends truly gave me a Western Christmas, and I began to feel less and less homesick. I also was able to spend time with my friends Craig & Helena (and their baby Susanna,) Dan, John, and Derek. Having such wonderful friends was truly (another cheesy thought) the best Christmas gift I could have asked for 😊

Another special thing for me this Christmas was being able to share it with my students. Hearing them say, "Merry Christmas, Teacher Alison" was the most beautiful greeting of all. We made reindeer and Christmas cards for their parents and learned all about "Santa." It was so much fun teaching Christmas songs like "Jingle Bells" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" to my little ones! They love Chrismas music, and have been asking me throughout the past week why we can't keep singing these Christmas songs. The funny thing is, I have always asked this same question!

Thanks to all of you who sent me cards and gifts. It was really special to receive special cards from America. Although I was away for Christmas this year, I still felt a little at home. Enjoy the pictures of my Christmas in Taiwan, and have a happy new year!

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Photos

The feast
The meal for 15 people.

So many gifts!
We each brought one gift, and Tammy & Brent bought gifts for all of 15 guests!

Our hosts
Tammy & Brent, the wonderful hosts :-)

Chowing down
Some of the girls enjoying their meal.

Me with my chauffeur
This is my physical therapist Pong Jan - I can't spell his name in English because it's Chinese :)

Find the Westerner
Me with 4 of the 8 Taiwanese girls at the party.

My Christmas tree
The presents under my tree :)

Susanna
Beautiful Susanna - turned 6 months old on Christmas :)

Susie & Dan
Susanna reacting to Dan's silliness :-)

Our class picture
Our first class picture - December 2007.

Another class pic
They like to yell when they take pictures to get this effect :)

William Santa
We took pictures of each student in the Santa hat, and put them in a frame that we painted for the parents. I just think this one is so cute :)

Another Santa...
This is Alysa. I wish I could put all of the pictures on here, but it will take too long! You get the idea - they're cute :)

Me & Angelina
With one of my students who was "Santa's Helper of the Day." We wear a different hat depending on the season/holiday :)

Comments

[Marianne]

These kids are SO cute!!

[Momma]

What a great daughter!
It's January 26 (day before my half birthday!) and I just read your Christmas blog! I didn't realize it had been corrected. Before it came through and you couldn't read it. Thanks for the wonderful comments about family. We had your special Christmas poster up in the living so we could remember all the special times we've had in the past. We missed you terribly and look forward to having you with us in 2008!