Holiday Spirit

For the first time since we've been back to Shanghai after the Thanksgiving visit, Sydney slept 10 hours straight through the night. I'm very grateful because I'm not sure how many 1am play sessions I had left in me. Sydney woke up at 4am this morning and by 9am, she was restless and bored. Luckily, I had bought a small Christmas tree and decorations yesterday so she was able to occupy herself decorating it.

I love the Christmas season --- the lights, Christmas carols, decorating the tree, the stress of buying the right present, the overcrowded malls, watching a Wonderful Life on TV. I love it all. I wish that I had brought my Christmas CDs with me. I haven't been able to find it at the stores here. I hope that Sydney will love it too. This is her 2nd Christmas and I didn't want to ignore it like we did Halloween. She is familiar with Christmas trees and can pick out Santa when she sees him. I can hardly wait until we get to the writing to Santa and making a wish list phase.

I'm told that people in China do not celebrate Christmas, other than young Chinese people who like and want to emulate Western culture. Christmas is frowned upon by the elderly here, as well as the government. As a result, I couldn't find nice Christmas decorations. I received many curious looks from the locals at Carrefour when I was carting my Christmas tree around the store. I couldn't find lights or a star for the tree so it is a bit "understated". But I think Sydney did a pretty good job with it. We keep the tree on the dining table and she frequently asks to sit in her booster chair so that she can look at it.