Christmas in China

I'll be the first to admit that it's sometimes depressing to celebrate the holidays with just the 3 of us.  My mom and I are currently in Changzhou, China where my dad is for business purposes.  Our extended family is in Beijing, which is still a 10 hour drive away.  I've often envied people with big families on Christmas Eve - crying babies, affectionate aunts and perverted uncles.  A big, dysfunctional family is a lot better than no family!

But, to make up for the lack of "noise" this Christmas, we had a delicious Christmas dinner, complete with chicken feet and Santa Claus.

In recent years, Chinese people have really gotten into the whole Christmas tradition, for non-religious reasons.  Many participate in decorating a tree and gift-exchanging.  When we went out for the dinner, the restaurant was completely full of people celebrating the spirit of Christmas.  All the waitstaff wore Santa hats and there were Christmas lights throughout the restaurant.  Although I doubt any of them could tell you about the history of Christmas, they sure enjoy the festivities!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!