The first discussion at the Center to break down (in a friendly manner) along Chinese/native-born U.S. lines was over a holiday greeetings email to some subset of friends of the Center. The U.S.-born rolled our eyes at the idea, thinking this would be a waste of everyone's time. Even if our employer weren't a minefield for written mass mailings (especially on this topic), almost everyone getting the email would just delete it.
But the Chinese insisted and several possibilities were debated with my insisting each time that it wasn't appropriate. Then I finally found the words to articulate what I was trying to say. We can send out a holiday greeting, but it can't invoke... well, you know... any religious holiday that happens to fall at the end of the calendar year. And then I explained what I meant & what the thinking is on that and they came up with a reasonably nice card, actually. I'm still against sending it out, but I'm a minor player in these decisions.
Beijing celebrates Christmas pretty much the way I remember it done in my midwestern youth. The decorations go up in early December and the Christmas music tends to be heavy with traditional tunes. Not that I'm entirely happy with this. I didn't sit on a plane for 14 hours so I could be assaulted by the trappings of Christmas, even the trappings of the Christmas of my youth.
But I have to admit it's more tastefully done here. Take the photo of the Friendship Hotel above, for instance. Too many lights in the bushes, I'd say, but otherwise even I approve. You got your tall evergreen festooned with Christmas bulbs and a few lit-up reindeer. The venerable Friendship looks great at night anyway, but now it's cheerfully elegant.
A more-than-satisfactory almost-years-end celebratory period to you!
Posted by: Shannon | Friday, 24 December 2010 at 07:32