I will start to send a few cards to my EU friends (hope it gets there before Christmastide) and thinking what I could do for Christmastide in Taiwan, Anyone will do anything here like in Europe. Here its known as a romantic or kids holiday more so.
Also do you send cards out, I got a small box of 20 and will give to locals too! Like it better than a E-card.
I assume you mean cards and not cars?
I give people cards. Sometimes I bake cookies, but I don’t think ppl here really like western baked goods, especially if they have “warming spices”, since those are basically Chinese medicine. I’m trying to decide if I should do lights on my balcony (no one would really see them but me, but I’m not sure I would mind, since the lights are more for me than my neighbors). I got some nicer quality stockings that I plan to hang up in a row and fill with goodies for my close friends here (mostly chocolate probably). And I have a small evergreen tree from Jianguo Flower Market that will have lights put on next weekend.
Otherwise Xmas is just another commercial holiday here…
Yes, cards (fixed) it. Do miss the season and seasonal weather. It is very dry and warm here but it’s the dry season so maybe not much rain till spring now. I think I will not get a tree as I can see outside. Lots of the big churches here, seem to decorate more than in the EU though so this is also i different with inside out (trees outside are lighted in front of the church).
We gave up on christmas after a while here. Ironically, its getting pretty popular here now. I just call home now, sometimes send back gifts (usually mulled wine sets or some other christmas like thing made in taiwan).
May i ask, what is Christmastide?
It is the 12 days of the Christmas Season, I guess celebrated in Christian areas? Does where your from not celebrate the Christmas Season.
I thought it was “Christmascide” as in find a way to kill Christmas.
The Germans are big in the Advent thing. ( Advent 2021 will begin on Sunday, November 28 and ends on Friday, December 24)
Used to put up a tree and give presents when the kids were small, and get together with friends who celebrated it, though have largely abandoned it in later years.
With this year falling on a Saturday my second son is hosting a party (my grandson is four) with lights and tree- I may even go as Santa (alas, don’t need to stuff the pillow down the pants anymore). I hope it becomes a tradition.
So glad that Christmas is a Saturday this year. I doubt I’ll do anything special, but at least I won’t have to teach.
Interesting, i have never heard this term. My childhood years were in western canada with a white christian based family. But never heard even our grandparents use that term. Is it in referrence to a 12 day holiday, or a certain sect if christianity? To be fair, my family was all fairly loosely christian and avoided the church after too many brainwashing campaigns in our area. But they held the beliefs, had a bible and all that jazz. In the end the christmas spirit was one of giving, not taking and of being with family and supporting those less cortunate in need.
Are you german?
Yuletide to make it even more complicated. 
(“In Praise of Christmas”)
People are often more familiar with the term “yule tide”
Also, whatever you want to call it, it’s supposed to run from Christmas to Jan 6
(“The Seasons”)
Probably due to home sickness, but I’ve finally managed to memorize both of these.
I hope there are places where that’s still true. In North America it lasts from, what, the day after Halloween until maybe December 23rd, at which point Dec. 26th sales drown it out? And here in Taiwan the Christmas trees may never come down.
I have loads of Christmas lights that I collected over the years and decorations and a big tree. It’s all for my family and myself. I will put up soon I guess. Sometimes we attend musical performances. That’s about it.
Christmas isn’t the same without family and because you don’t have a holiday here and certain traditional things that go with that back home. But these days I usually take it off.
That hasn’t bothered me most of my time in Taiwan, but now my brother’s got two kids, and my parents just booked their plane tickets to visit them for Christmas - last Christmas being effectively Covid-cancelled - and DAMN I wish we could be with them for those four or five days. Like for many of us here: these two years without visiting family are taking a gradual but very real psychological toll.
Every year I toy with the idea of putting up Christmas decorations - they’d be really nice to come home to - but a) I’m lazy, b) cats who would possibly destroy them, c) apartment storage.
I’d love it if some bizarre astronomical fluke could have Chinese New Year holidays falling at Christmas one year. “Oh shit. Dunno how that full moon showed up all of a sudden, but darn. Time to redo the holidays for the year.”
I hear ya man. I too wouldnt mind decorating, but doing it alone as an adult without people who are that into it just doesnt feel the same. I too am too lazy and no space. I the end it all goes the same way. Marital affairs with the missus, a bittle of whiskey and me passing out watching really lame christmass movies into the night. Then the inevitable long recovery the following day.
Cheers for that. I do know yule tide, funny how i didnt make the connection until you so kindly spelled i out.
Maybe this year we can go xmastide. For the athiests 
Or just solstice, which is the root of pretty much all northern hemisphere celebrations this time of year
