Christmas and TW/NZ Family
After J&J came for lunch with presents, I then went to Z's place for Christmas dinner :)
I was hesitant for days whether or not it's appropriate to go because I knew that Christmas was more a family thing and I didn't want to be intruding. However, I was glad that I went as they were all so lovely and welcoming, and I had fantastic time. It was an honour to be invited and be part of someone else family as always. Seeing them so excited about their presents, enjoying the wine, food, music and each other's company made me feel thrilled to share the true spirit of Christmas with them. It was a pure joy without being homesick because Christmas has never been part of my family things. Thus I have never missed it.
Christmas is celebrated in a rather odd way in Taiwan. I think it's overly extravagant for a society whom doesn't understand the essence of Christmas. It has much more overwhelming/spectacular decorations and *awareness* than here in NZ, but it's very superficial and commercialised. I only get to know the real meaning of Christmas in the last few years and start loving it because ppl who I love celebrate Christmas.
Coming from a very family-orientated background, I used to misunderstand and doubt the bondings within a western family. A traditional Taiwanese family is more like a little society. There are a lot of responsibility and expectations from other family members. You have to play many different roles and consider others, but yourself is always the least significance. There is ONE strong family, but less individuality. Children are expected to live at home until they have to work/study in other place or get married. It looks like we are very close to each other, but I sometimes feel that this kind of closeness may actually cause unnecessary misery and conflicts. However, no one seems to mind too much. After all, thinking of the big picture of the family and endurance are taken as grounded and are considered as virtues.
On the other hand, western society is more about individuality. Children may be expected to move out home once they are 18 or 19, but the love and care they have for their family isn't any less. They still come home frequently and be there for each other whenever and wherever. Maybe it's why westerners feel more comfortable to say love than easterners. It's not because they don't mean it when they say it, but they are able to express it without hesitation. However, in a Chinese family, there are just so many expectations already that saying love is just too heavy and too much.
I am not quite sure how my happy Christmas led to such deep and meaningful thoughts, but meh~
I was hesitant for days whether or not it's appropriate to go because I knew that Christmas was more a family thing and I didn't want to be intruding. However, I was glad that I went as they were all so lovely and welcoming, and I had fantastic time. It was an honour to be invited and be part of someone else family as always. Seeing them so excited about their presents, enjoying the wine, food, music and each other's company made me feel thrilled to share the true spirit of Christmas with them. It was a pure joy without being homesick because Christmas has never been part of my family things. Thus I have never missed it.
Christmas is celebrated in a rather odd way in Taiwan. I think it's overly extravagant for a society whom doesn't understand the essence of Christmas. It has much more overwhelming/spectacular decorations and *awareness* than here in NZ, but it's very superficial and commercialised. I only get to know the real meaning of Christmas in the last few years and start loving it because ppl who I love celebrate Christmas.
Coming from a very family-orientated background, I used to misunderstand and doubt the bondings within a western family. A traditional Taiwanese family is more like a little society. There are a lot of responsibility and expectations from other family members. You have to play many different roles and consider others, but yourself is always the least significance. There is ONE strong family, but less individuality. Children are expected to live at home until they have to work/study in other place or get married. It looks like we are very close to each other, but I sometimes feel that this kind of closeness may actually cause unnecessary misery and conflicts. However, no one seems to mind too much. After all, thinking of the big picture of the family and endurance are taken as grounded and are considered as virtues.
On the other hand, western society is more about individuality. Children may be expected to move out home once they are 18 or 19, but the love and care they have for their family isn't any less. They still come home frequently and be there for each other whenever and wherever. Maybe it's why westerners feel more comfortable to say love than easterners. It's not because they don't mean it when they say it, but they are able to express it without hesitation. However, in a Chinese family, there are just so many expectations already that saying love is just too heavy and too much.
I am not quite sure how my happy Christmas led to such deep and meaningful thoughts, but meh~
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