NEW YORK - Like most households across the United States, the Slatons view Christmas as a big deal. The house is decorated from top to bottom, a star is placed atop a towering Christmas tree, and the whole family gathers in robes and pajamas on the big day to exchange gifts and spend time together.

But for this family, one might argue that Christmas is a particularly American ritual.

The Slatons, with seven children, are "a blended family", mother Barbara told China Daily. Her husband has three children and she has two, all now in their 20s.

Together, she and her husband adopted two girls from China, TaoZhu and Quinn. The family lives on a farm in Virginia, with the older children scattered around the US and overseas.

Introducing Christmas to TaoZhu and Quinn produced mixed results, Slaton said, with both reacting differently.

"It's really fascinating to watch it through their eyes, who when they arrived in the US, had nothing to compare Christmas to," she said.

"It's very different from girls who are adopted by American families when they're babies, and they're exposed to the holiday from the beginning.

"My daughters were like, Wow, what's this?"

TaoZhu, who is now 15, joined the family when she was 8, just a month before Christmas, Slaton said.

"That first Christmas was kind of a blur for her," Slaton said. "She wasn't speaking English and she was adjusting to a new home. It was stressful for her.

"What she knew was that there were decorations everywhere and that she would soon be meeting her older brothers and sisters.

"Our other kids all came home, and I think that's what she really associated with Christmas."

Indeed, TaoZhu's first impressions were of gifts and of family. "I didn't really know what was happening," TaoZhu said.

"I thought the story of Jesus's birth was kind of cool, and that everyone was giving gifts on his birthday."

These days, TaoZhu has a little pocket money of her own, and spends a lot of time choosing presents for her loved ones. "I really like how people put their own thought into things, and think so hard about each gift. It makes Christmas really special," she said.

Slaton believes that as a result of not having been raised with the often hyper-commercialized holiday, her adopted daughters focus less on receiving gifts and more on giving presents and spending time with family, she said.

"They're not selfless, I mean they're normal little girls, but I think it's less of a focus on the gifts because they didn't grow up with the influence of Christmas and what so many people think of it as, a boatload of gifts," she said.

Quinn, 12, also arrived in the US at the age of 8, but had been exposed to a little more Western culture at her orphanage, Slaton said. Quinn relishes decorating and wrapping presents.

In one funny story of Christmases past, Slaton said the entire family re-enacting the nativity scene, with Quinn sitting in a laundry basket as Baby Jesus.

"She was so mad," Slaton said with a laugh. "It was such a funny day."

This year the family plans to visit Old Williamsburg on Christmas Eve, but Christmas morning will be spent at home as usual, with breakfast and everyone gathered around the tree.

For both daughters, the end of Christmas is always depressing, Slaton said.

"When it gets to the end of the break when everyone starts leaving, there's a real sadness for them," she said.

"Ultimately, Christmas for them is about family, and that's certainly what we hoped to give them when we brought them here."

China Daily