Christmas in Taichung, Taiwan is a funny thing. Every store is decked with bows of holly from top to bottom. Christmas songs fill the air. Holiday performances can be enjoyed on stages set up in parks and plazas across the city. The Christmas spirit is alive and well.

The Funny thing? Very few of the locals will actually celebrate the holiday. There will be no Christmas trees in private homes. Presents will not be exchanged. People will not have the day off from work.

Luckily for me, the superficial trappings at the malls are enough to keep me humming Jingle Bells throughout my days. I’ve been feeling so holly-jolly that I decided to add to the lexicon and write my own Christmas classic. Thanks to the kitten, Copper, that I am currently living with, I’ve been inspired. Now future generations can thank me for an enduring Christmas classic sure to be turned into an animated movie any day now.

Haha. It’s Christmas. I’m allowed to make wishes.

I love this time of year. I love the Christmas holiday. It warms my heart. My love stems from two things. Family traditions and classic holiday stories. I know them all by heart. I’ve watched or read them over and over since I was old enough to watch or read.

Secretly, I’ve always wanted to create the next Rudolf,  A Christmas Story, or Polar Express; the next story to fill children with wonder, emotion, and sugar plum dreams.

The trouble with writing a new Christmas story is there are already so many. Finding a new idea isn’t easy. I went through every Christmas icon I could think of (snowflakes, Mrs. Claus, candy canes, holy stars). Then I tried to come up with something completely new (rhinos, space men, jungle adventures). Nothing.

Finally it was a story of love and family that took hold. All thanks to a funny little orange tabby named Copper. Remember that name. You’ll see it in lights one day.

I have one more week before Christmas. One more week for me means one more first draft. One more chance to write that (another?) classic before the holiday spirit fades away into a New Year’s Eve haze. Maybe that rhino story will finally get its shot.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all.