Christmas

It has been a very dramatic year for my wife and me.  I will be celebrating Christmas with my family at our U.S. home on Sunday.  Unfortunately, my new family (wife and daughters) could not make the trip with me and remain in Taiwan.  We will Skype with my wife on Christmas night to wish her our best.  I hope in the future, we can all be together for the holidays. 

For a number of years, it has been tradition to get together at our house.  I prepare a traditional dinner of standing beef rib roast, potatoes, soup, vegetables and much more.  Last year I cooked lamb instead of beef, and I could tell it was not as popular as the beef roast.  I love all foods, so it is often difficult to think in terms of favorite dishes.  This year I will make and bake dinner rolls from scratch.  We bought a bread machine for our home in Taiwan, and I have discovered how easy it is to make fresh bread.  I will roast more than 20 pounds (9 kg) of beef and will host 18 family members.

The Christmas tree is topped with a very special angel.  Before my Mother passed away more than 16 years ago, she asked my sister-in-law to do something with her wedding dress.  Since my Mother had five sons and no daughters, there was nobody to pass the dress to.  My sister-in-law is talented and turned the dress into the angel tree toppers for my brothers and me.  She even found doll heads with red hair to match my Mother’s.  It was a fantastic use of the dress and I am always reminded of my Mother at this time of year.

I was surprised to see how much the Taiwanese have embraced Christmas.  The stores sell trees and ornaments. Office buildings are decorated with colored lights.  People exchange gifts.  My wife will be attending a neighborhood party Christmas Eve.  Our neighbor married an American man; I don’t know if she is hosting the party for him or whether she celebrated before meeting him.  I used to think of Christmas as a Christian holiday.  While it clearly is, it is interesting to see people of other faiths, or limited faith, embrace the wholesomeness and warmth of this holiday.   Next month I will celebrate the Chinese New Year with my new family and friends.  Both the Chinese New Year and Christmas cause families to reunite for at least one time per year.  In both cultures, people put their work aside and travel great distances, to enjoy their family and friends.

I wish all of my family and friends the happiest of holidays.