Beijing Christmas Tree

Christmas is upon us again. This year, I’m in Australia, but I’ll be thinking about Christmas in China, which I’ve been fortunate to experience on a number of occasions.

This photo by Keemz of a Christmas tree in Beijing got me thinking about past Christmases in China:

Christmas tree in Beijing

I guess I should say that I’m happy to spend Christmas here in Australia, with my family – and I am – but part of me will miss the experience of spending Christmas in China:

  • The camaraderie with other foreign teachers as we celebrate a Western festival in a non Western country and find ways of making it ‘like home’
  • The excitement of my students, which hardened Western high school / university students don’t want to match
  • The bustle of the shops on Christmas Eve
  • The fire works that will go off on Christmas Eve
  • The general surrealness of Christmas in China

Of course, I won’t miss:

  • The absence of family
  • The fact that most people work on Christmas Day (even if I don’t have to)
  • That Christmas Day is a non event compared to Christmas Eve
  • That there’s no such thing as Boxing Day (although the same goes for the US)

I hope you all have a great Christmas wherever you are.