Happy hols everyone!

Last year, Emma, my friend in Japan, was teaching a lesson about Christmas and asked all the westside teachers how they celebrated holidays. Although our group was small, we had many different traditions...the New Zealanders have barbies, Aggie's family have dinner on Christmas Eve with all the Polish specialities, Josh celebrates Hanukkah and in Ireland, Emma joins hundreds of others for an icy dip.

Chinese people don't really have a tradition of celebrating Christmas, but my parents really tried to adopt the holiday for us. We had a tree, and we got presents, but sometimes they got things a little mixed up...for example, my parents were convinced that we couldn't open presents until Boxing Day because the presents were in boxes! We didn't hang up stockings, but Santa did slip us new books under our pillows. Our Christmas tree was decorated not with tinsels and baubles but with silk goldfish and rabbits, and the lights were mini Chinese lanterns. And Christmas dinner was always a mish-mash - turkey and mashed potatoes next to dishes of bok choy and boiled rice - an early version of fusion cuisine!

My Christmases abroad were pretty fun, but there's nothing like being home. Japan has adopted the holiday, but of course Christmas over there has its own unique twists. Somehow they have turned it into a romantic day for couples...girls are dragging their hapless boyfriends to Tiffany's to look at rings and all the love hotels are booked on the 25th, I kid you not. And everyone eats white cake with strawberries. Very strange. Apparently a while back they were selling crucified Santas...they knew that Christmas had something to do with an old bearded guy in a red suit and it also had to do something with a cross...and somehow they unfortunately combined the two! They don't have those Santas anymore, but occasionally I'd still come across things that would seem a bit sacriligeous...one year I was judging a Christmas pageant and was a little disturbed (but mostly amused) by a group of pre-teens wearing surplices and huge cardboard crosses, singing George Michael's "Last Christmas I Gave You My Heart"!

I was dreading Christmas shopping a bit, but the crowds haven't been bad and people for the most part get really into the spirit of the holiday. For example, last week I was waiting for the bus on a cold dreary day when all of the sudden, this bus with antlers and a huge red nose pulls up to the curb. The driver was in a green elf costume and Santa was handing out candy canes. The inside was decorated with holly and a portable stereo was playing carols. Every single person who got on that bus was so surprised and climbed aboard with a huge smile. People were laughing and talking with each other, and snapping pictures with Santa. It was great!

Merry Christmas everyone, wherever you may be. Hope 2006 brings you lots of love, laughter and happiness.