Christmas Eve is upon us. I've been wanting to go holiday shopping ever since early December, riding my scooter across town and going to IKEA to get ready for the holidays.

My mom, Chen Yinyin, was a single parent in New York City, U.S. During the Christmas holiday, she would always make sure our home had a real festive feel to it—and she'd always buy a real tree. Once a year, we'd decorate it with ornaments and lights as soon as the morning of December 25 arrived. And I always knew presents awaited. Over the years, I have never forgotten these happy moments.

I first arrived in China in late 2008 and have since settled down in Shenyang, capital city of Liaoning Province in northeast China. Even though Christmas is not an official holiday in China, many shop windows feature seasonal decorations. Some locals will buy Christmas gifts for their families and friends, too.

My expat buddies used to consider Christmas a time to collectively enjoy a nice dinner and share year-end stories. My Chinese friends also often partook in celebrating the holiday. But with the outbreak of COVID-19 in late 2019, all that changed. Our traditional Christmas gathering has been canceled twice due to the pandemic.

And I tested positive for Omicron on December 13 and had almost all the symptoms. As the disease progressed, it got worse, with fever and sore muscles. As I knew my body preferred natural herbs, I decided to continue on the path of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Apart from TCM, plenty of rest and plenty of water, I fought the virus well. Now, I have fully recovered.

During this period, I figured this was the end of my Christmas holiday this year, a rather unfortunate occurrence given our gathering with pals was set to resume after a two-year hiatus. Before I got sick, I wanted to get a little tree for my home. But the virus interrupted my plans. I still have to get one.

On December 19, after feeling much more like my normal self again, I went to the cinema to catch the latest action-adventure blockbuster, Avatar: The Way of Water. When I saw Avatar on the big screen, I felt a huge sense of relief, like the movie theater was the only world that existed at that very moment.

Nevertheless, I know the pandemic is still on the loose. But people should remain strong and brave; getting sick is not something to be afraid of. Instead, it is an experience that gives us all something to share. Embrace it and get through it. People all agree that everything happens for a reason. And until we learn what that reason is, I wish my mother and all my friends a wonderful Christmas.

The author is an American-born Chinese spokenologist specializing in the methodology of speaking and spoken language teaching at Shenyang Normal University and the founder of the Spokenology academic discipline.