A Christmas massage

More than I expected, Shanghai loves Christmas decorations. Everything from the bag at the bakery across the street to the displays in shopping malls seems to show Santa Claus (complete with reindeer) and Christmas Greetings. In almost every shop, employees wear Santa hats - from McDonalds to Carrefour. There are Christmas lights, Christmas music (with Chinese lyrics) and I had the day off work today.

That said, this is a secular event and it is not a holiday for 99% of Chinese people. There are no nativity scenes or messages of charity and goodwill. China has imported the "stuff" but not the real meaning. In the absence of the religious message, I have been pondering what makes Christmas truly special and is it possible to have an enjoyable Christmas on the other side of the world. After today, my answer is a resounding, "YES!"

Our holiday started last Friday when we went to dinner with one of Chris's colleagues my friend, Jonathan. Then on Saturday we met up with two other friends for Japanese curry and ice cream and Sunday was the KaiEn Christmas party. On Christmas Eve we went to a party thrown by one of our Chinese classmates, Natalie, and really enjoyed ourselves - rolling in about 1am, tired and happy.

For Christmas day we cooked a big American breakfast - eggs, pancakes and bacon and invited our upstairs neighbor Liz to share in the festivities. She provided two additional chairs and plates and forks. We have an entire set of chopsticks but never did get around to buying forks. Eating pancakes with chopsticks is almost impossible, as we found out. After she left we concentrated on relaxing - and I got a foot massage. One hour of bliss, including a short shoulder massage and scalp massage (for 75 RMB approx. $10). I drifted in and out as Masseuse #3 worked on my feet and thought of my friends and family who have supported me through this great adventure.

Christmas is about people. It is possible to celebrate anywhere because it is not the candy canes or the Santa hats that make it special, but the memories and stories that grow. The slideshow that I link to below shows some of the new friends I have made here who are helping me experience this wonderful city. I hope you enjoy it.

Christmas 2007

Merry Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad to you all.

Cheers!