This Christmas has been very different to what I am used to. At home, there would be excitement for Christmas amongst friends and family, a warm feeling or a glow in my heart on the day when gifts are shared and we all sit around the table and eat our Christmas dinner.
I knew that in Taiwan, people don't celebrate Christmas, but I thought if me and Scully try to bring Christmas into my new home, then the Christmas spirit would somehow follow. Me and Scully bought a Christmas tree that we were going to put up in the living room to bring a Christmas atmosphere but when we arrived home with it all boxed up she said she didn't want it in there, so it went into our room instead, along with all the other decorations we bought to try and make the place look more 'Christmassy'.
Mine and Scully's nephews Jun-Jun and Je-Je were amazed at the tree and love to watch the lights flashing and the decorations twinkling. Jun-Jun (being only one and a half years) looks up at the tree, head tilted back and his mouth wide open making high-pitched excitable noises.
After seeing their reaction to the tree, we decided that it would be even more like Christmas if we bought everyone a gift. Nothing too expensive, but something useful and what they might like. Je-Je also mentioned that he had been learning about Christmas at school and that usually he should put a stocking up so Santa can fill it. So with this in mind, we ventured out to find the gifts and spent many hours thinking about what to get them and looking around the shops. Even choosing the wrapping paper was difficult! But late on Christmas eve when we were wrapping all of the gifts and packing the stockings for the two kids we both felt a sense of achievement and excitement for Christmas day, tomorrow. Every person had a gift with a special message from Santa written on a gift tag under our tree in our room.
Early Christmas morning, we were woken up by the sound of the family in the living room. It sounded just like a normal morning. Je-Je's dad had given Je-Je a Christmas gift from of two transformer toys and the stockings had gone unnoticed. Me and Scully pretended that Santa had been and told Je-Je and Jun-Jun to come and have a look. I must say they looked excited as they rummaged through their stockings and that brought a warm feeling. We put a snowglobe in the bottom of each stocking (making sure it was carefully wrapped, obviously) which they both really like.
Next we all went into the bedroom where we had already turned on all the Christmas lights and decorations, along with Christmas music to build the atmosphere. We made it just like Santa's grotto, except he was not in. The kids rushed in and Je-Je almost dived under the tree to see who the gifts were for. In a blink of an eye, Je-Je had unwrapped his remote control car and Jun-Jun was standing with his head tilted back, mouth wide open and making high pitched excitable noises at the tree. We opened his gift for him and he looked happy. We then shared out the other gifts to the rest of the family.
After opening the gifts, we went out into the living room to help them boys open their toys and put the batteries in. Je-Je didn't really seem interested though and later he said it was because he found remote control cars too difficult to drive. Jun-Jun seemed to be frightened of his too. I guess it was because it had bright flashing lights, was shaped like a dung-beetle, rolled around on the floor strangely and I was controlling it (chasing him around the house).
When the adults had finished playing with the toys (the batteries ran out), Scully's mum and dad had left to go to someone's wedding and me and Scully decided that we would go somewhere 'Christmassy' for dinner. Not long after that, in McDonald's, with a double quarter pounder and chocolate milkshake, I looked at Scully and we both smiled as the Christmas music was playing.
On the evening we didn't do anything, we just went home to relax and played some Chess. It went by really quickly as it always does. Scully's chess-playing is atrocious, but it's better than mine. All-in-all, looking back it was a good day so I thought I would share it with you :)
Hope you are all having a great time this Christmas and I can't wait until the next one when I'm back home with you!!
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