My first Christmas with the Gilbert family in Texas USA was an unforgettable experience. It was not until I experienced it that I realized that Christmas is not all about eating or decorating. To some extent it is just like the Chinese New Year though it has its own cultural identity. It was A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens which has been said to change people’s idea about Christmas, but I had my own experience to know what it is. That was when I started to look forward to this holiday when family gets together. We went to church on Christmas Eve. People were so excited about the coming day that everyone’s face shone with a smile. I listened to the service and learned the religious background of the holiday. Then it was a sleepless night, but I was not more restless than any other child waiting for Christmas morning to arrive. The stockings hanging on the fireplace all were flat Christmas Eve, but by the next morning they were all stuffed and I could not help but look inside to find out what was in them. It was a good thing that no matter how old you are, there is always a Santa Claus! That Christmas morning I felt that my host family was really my family. We exchanged our presents and spent the day in the air of love that filled every corner of the house. No other moments like this better explain what truly Christmas means.