Merry Merry Ho Ho

The clock just rolled past 8am here in Manjiatan, the town surrounding the school I teach and where my good friends the Seaths live. The sounds of percolating coffee and clicking mugs and a meowing jungle cat named Jojo and the movie Elf are doing a great job of making the morning of Christmas Day festive and just like home. You'd just have to substitute dogs for cats and the sounds of Garfield's Christmas for Elf and it's pretty much like home. In China.

The week seemed to fly by but, at the same time, last forever. And this year we got stuck working until about 1pm on Christmas Eve, so it took away from the feeling that it was actually Christmas. The chill in the cold, Northern China air sure made it seem like an Alberta Christmas... windy and about -15. Gross. :)

D and I just came back from the Manjiatan market where the normal Saturday business of getting the kiosks and stores ready for another day of non-holiday business. We talked about the fact that it's just another day here, when back home, Christmas Day is a massively important day of celebration. It's still funny that we can make such a holiday-esque atmosphere in an apartment when the world outside is oblivious to our feelings of merriment. I also just got a text from another friend who lives in D's building that she's got gingerbread baking downstairs. Guess where I'm going in about six minutes?!?!

I'll probably take some more time to write about the holiday tomorrow on Boxing Day, but for now, on Christmas Day, I'm going to just wish you all an excellent, wonderful and magical Christmas back home and wherever you find yourself around the world. If you send me your phone numbers I'll get some phone calls made via Skype as soon as possible. For now, and particularly because it's Christmas, lots of holiday love from China. Thinking about you guys back home.

T