We came back to Texas for the holidays last week. It has been really fun. We have seen friends and family with lots more to go. I got to help my daughter select bridesmaid dresses for her upcoming wedding. On Saturday, my nephew has a party to celebrate his graduation from college. Of course, there was Christmas inn our home church and getting to watch the Fiesta Bowl with other OU fans on New Year's day. (Even though I am Lutheran, I don't think that it is blasphemous to speak of Christmas and football in the same sentence.)

Much about Taipei and Plano is similar but the thing that I have noticed most and appreciated most is space. Taipei is one of the most densely populated cities on earth. Plano has plenty of open space. Take Costco, for example. In Taipei, it is a two storied building without much parking so people wait in line in their cars for parking spaces to open up. There are probably three to four times as many people in the Taipei Costco as in the Plano one at any given time, but the Plano stores have wider aisles and more merchandise. The streets are not clogged with traffic in Plano but on the whole, I don't think space improves the quality of driving.

Another thing, Americans are huge. Since I am among the overweight, maybe I shouldn't talk but I will anyway. The girth of young adults and children is frightening. Since this crept up on us slowly, as a society we don't really notice when we see it every day. Now though I am shocked. Even commercials are using heavier actors than in other countries. This cannot be a good thing for our collective health.

So we survived thanksgiving. Okay, well it was somewhat depressing. We went to a buffet dinner where you could choose between turkey and roast beef. Stuffing was even available. But it wasn't Thanksgiving in the sense that it is a holiday for family and friends. We'll celebrate it this Sunday at church in conjunction with Christmas. (Yes, it will be December 10 and not even a holiday at all)

Taipei is in a Christmas spirit. The shopping malls are decked out in the best American tradition. Christmas music has been playing since before Thanksgiving. Finally, there are even some ornaments for sale. We decorated our tree which is a Charlie Brown tree the day after Thanksgiving as is the tradition at our house. The tree is so small that the first stringer of 100 lights bent the tree to the table with the added weight. Mark then found some LED lights that are about as good as it gets. The ornaments were a problem as the tree was so small so we finally settled on cell phone charms as decorations. I really like it. We have a crystal angel fish (I couldn't find a proper angel), a bell, a star, some red peppers, and some fish. The charms are cute and small. It works. The full sized ornaments, we hung on the patio windows along with the first stringer of lights. Every thing was so expensive that we couldn't just waste it. Of course, the exact same ornaments, made in Taiwan, if purchased in the United States would be so cheap that we wouldn't think twice about throwing things that were not perfect away. But these things were probably made here, sent to the US and then imported back to Taiwan for the American ex-patriots to buy so the cost is dear. This is not uncommon.

But the Christmas music is abundant and sacred. The words "Merry Christmas" are everywhere and not diluted. Since this is a country that is not terribly religious no one minds that the holiday has religious tones. No one understands it, only the capitalism that drives the modern version; they just accept it for what is is and what it has become. Even Bill O'Reilly might like it here.

I have made several more friends. One is from New Jersey, one from Germany, and one from California. We have been doing things together like going to museums. It can be pretty fun. It doesn't replace family or a job that you like, but it is still alright. Irene, from California, is a great person. I met her through church. She and her family moved here for her husbands work, and although they are from California, her family is originally from Hong Kong so she can speak and read Mandarin. She is a treasure, a kind and giving person. She reminds me of all the good things that a person can be.