It must be, because it's extremely rare to see a christmas only shop in Taiwan. Granted it's in the one area of town where more affluent foreigners choose to live. I'm assuming it is just up for the season and will be gone in a few days. If it's still there next month, than i'll start looking in the sky for the flying pigs.
Needless to say that Christmas isn't a big deal here. You are definitely free to go to the shops without the fear of being trampled. Quite a few places will have some decorations though, usually some cheap things you can get at the local stationary store. Presents are not given, however some companies will have a secret santa activity. Yes that worst part of christmas has made it over here, while many of the better parts haven't.
That being said, for awhile christmas was a national holiday in Taiwan. This is because it's their constitution day. Back before the chinese civil war between the communist and the KMT, CKS was losing the country so he decided to make a constitution to make china a democracy. This didn't fix things and after he fled to Taiwan he said that the constitution applies here. But of course it didn't as it was a dictatorship. Taiwan actually still uses this constitution which was written for China, but a few years ago they finally amended it.
But yes "used to" because when the opposing party finally came into power, away this national holiday went. It's scary how there are so many serious problems regarding the drastic changes that occur when the political parties swap power in Taiwan. As one party tries to distance itself from China and the other tries to pull closer. One party must change something and the other party must change it back, yet for the most part people don't and didn't care, until...they lost a day off. The millions of dollars wasted on renaming things in Taiwan with "China" in them and then changing them back to include "China" for the most part makes Taiwanese scoff and laugh, but it's not joke to them when they lost their holiday.
That being said they can't complain too much, because that same president who took christmas (constitution day) away, also changed it so the work week is only five days a week, as opposed to the six days it had always been.
As for foreigners, if you work for a western company you get a lot of time off. Actually many Taiwanese strive to work for western companies here in Taiwan as you get both Taiwanese and western holidays off. English school teachers usually work, but some will give teachers the day off, especially as more and more students will use "our teacher should have the day off" as an excuse to have a day off from class. And isn't that the true spirit of christmas, giving a present that you can also benefit from.
