An Asian Christmas

Chocolate covered pretzels

YUM....You want some!? Well, you should have come and celebrated Christmas with me in Taiwan....too bad! Just kidding!! Well since I made these for my Christmas celebration, lets talk about Christmas!!!








Dear friends, family and other readers of this blog, first of all, look at how quickly I have written another blog!! YAY! You didn't have to wait any time at all. Secondly, I wanted to write this blog before the new year and tell you all about the interesting (to say the least) Christmas season I had this year in Taiwan.

My "christmasy" apartment

So as the holidays were approaching, I was slowly but surely getting myself into the Christmas spirit, even though there wasn't any holidays music playing on the radio stations, snow on the ground or family to share my LOVE (if anyone knows me, they know I am OBSESSED with Christmas) for Christmas. I am ALWAYS the FIRST one to put up all of the decoration and decorate the tree at my house when I am back home, so I started to do the same here and decorate some of my apartment with little trinkets here and there and little mini poinsettias!!! I hope my roommates appreciated it, hah! But to tell you the truth it was very weird walking around on the streets of Taipei knowing that is was almost Christmas time and that I wouldn't be home in MN.

But, I think that you all are interested to know.....Does Taiwan celebrate Christmas? Do they even put anything up outside that vaguely resembles Christmas? Well let me put it this way......OMG YES! There are decorations everywhere. There are decorations in ALL of the department stores and huge discounts on clothing and everything you can imagine after Christmas as I believe they are trying to follow in America's footsteps. But, I believe that not many families actually "celebrate" christmas and understand what it is really about....obviously the birth of Christ. I truly do think that it is a "consumer holiday" and it presents a perfect opportunity for companies to display holidays "specials" and products for many Taiwanese people to buy gifts and go shopping. But, all in all, a lot of people really do like Christmas and I am happy that there was something here to remind of it!!!

At the X-Mas Eve party!

So as the time rolled around and Christmas Eve was approaching, I got ready and headed to my friend Jordan and Conner's place. They were hosting a Christmas Eve party and pretty much....no everyone I know in Taiwan was there, aha. The party started off with nice relaxing Christmas music playing, then further into the night it was changed to Hip/Hop & Rap Christmas music and then ultimately to regular loud party music, ha. We also had some Taiwanese friends there, so they taught us how to play a really fun, Taiwanese drinking game, where you use chopsticks! It was pretty funny to watch everyone learn, especially when the Taiwanese friends didn't speak English perfectly!!! All in all though the night was great and it was so nice to gather with the friends that I have here, meet new people and all be together to celebrate Christmas. It definitely could not have gotten any different though from the gatherings I have back home, where we all eat a big dinner together, open presents, read Twas the Night Before Christmas, and watch TV together....and end up going to bed so early from be so full and tired as I didn't eat a big dinner, didn't get/open any presents, definitely didn't read a Christmas book and again definitely didn't go to bed early, hah!! But, I did try to make the best of my Christmas eve!

SOME of the food at my Christmas day party! 

Then the next day, it was MY turn to host the Christmas Day party and dinner. As I said before, I am very accustomed to large gatherings with my family where there is so much food, NOBODY ever finishes it, unless all the uncles/men keep picking away at it throughout the night....or if I eat all of the desserts!! (YUM, sweet tooth) So I decided I wasn't going to have this Christmas be any different or "make any stops" since I was in Taiwan. So, the week before I went down to the most westernized grocery store here in Taipei and ordered a whole turkey and a pumpkin pie!!! YUM! The store cooked it and all we had to do was pick it up on Christmas Day! Then, I went to an even further extent and decided I would peel and mash 12 sweet potatoes, make corn, cranberry sauce and bake a loaf of corn bread!! (Mmm, my mouth is watering as I write this!) Then I asked for everyone else to try and bring one thing when they came. We ended up having about 15 other people come and they brought deviled eggs, veggies and dip, stuffed bell peppers, pigs in a blanket, wine, homemade Taiwanese fried rice, tiramisu, chocolate cake and more!! It really turned out to be a HUGE success and everyone was so thankful that I ended up coordinating it, because otherwise we would not have had something to do!!! So as the guests started arriving, we sat down and ate a large dinner, listened to Christmas music...that I MADE everyone listen to, because I am obsessed with Christmas music and just enjoyed each other's company.

At my Christmas Party!! 

It was also a pretty cool Christmas, because not only were there about 15 people there, but it was very international as well. We had a couple Scotts, a Romanian, a couple Taiwanese people, a bunch of Americans, Canadians and English folks! It was pretty neat to realize how all of us, who never knew each other before had come together on this night, in Taiwan, to all celebrate Christmas with each other!!!

So, after a long day of cooking, eating, playing more games, talking, more eating and cleaning the apartment, I am exhausted and ready for bed. It was very sad to not be at home for the holidays, but now I know what it feels like to be away and I know MANY other people have to go through it as well and I definitely made the best of it!!

Mary, myself & Colleen

So, that is all for now folks and have a good NYE celebrating wherever you may be!! Look for another blog soon...most likely about Taiwan's huge NYE's celebration!!!

Sincerely, your friend

Olivia

Playing X-Mas games