XMAS

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Over the past few weeks its been beginning to look a lot like Christmas...sort of. Very few Chinese are christians, but that has not stopped Christmas from becoming a holiday that is celebrated. Mostly the holiday has caught on through retailers who want to capitalize on the holiday's commercial success in the States. The following are some of the holiday decoration I've seen downtown.

CHRISTMAS IN XI'AN

A christmas tree complete with presents in the hostel I like to stay in

Stockings at the front desk of the hostel

Santa is on the doors of nearly every store in Xi'an

A modernist christmas sculpture

This apparently is Santa's favorite hotpot restaurant

Santa holding up an LED billboard

This christmas present is bigger than my apartment

What better to get the one you love for christmas than a couple bottles of tea?

Peppermint pillars

Christmas sales at the Time Traveler With Love store

More Santa on storefronts

A fairly large Christmas tree. Looks like they ran out of ornaments for the bottom right side.

Santa's Chinese name translates to "Christmas Old Man" 

Why not spend Christmas at one of Xi'an's hot springs?

SIYUAN CHRISTMAS CEREMONY

To celebrate Christmas, the International School at Siyuan University put on a special ceremony. Of course the foreign teachers were special guests, so we got front row seats for the two hour event. After watching the show, I fully understand why Christmas is and will always be less popular than in America.

Waiting for me at my front row seat were complementary seeds, fruit, and tea to be enjoyed during the performance.

Student musicians--playing the Sax, Trumpet, Flute, Piano, and two Chinese instruments I dont know.

Here are some videos of the performances:

MY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

Here is my Christmas decoration, a paper snow globe that my family sent me. Thanks Mom, Dad, and Virginia; I love you.