Chinese Christmas

It’s Christmas time and this year I am celebrating it in China. So far the most indulgent Christmas ever. It started on the 9th of December with a dinner in the canteen for all the people that work for AAF in China. Most of us wore red Santa hats and we all received a present from the Union. So sweet. (see www.animalsasia.org Jill’s Blog) It was however a quick dinner, the Chinese can be so funny. Eat, drink and be gone… in about an hour tops. Some of them achieving to be a bit drunk as well. The same week we (white people) were invited to Howard’s mums house for dinner. Howard is our senior bear team supervisor. He invites the foreigners over every year at Christmas time. The living room was transferred into a dining room with 2 big tables of lovely food made in a tiny kitchen. I always admire how they can cook so many dishes in such limited space. It was an honour to be invited into a Chinese home. Quite different to the western world. For one I kept my jacket on for most of the night as there is no central heating and for some yet unknown reason they keep the windows open as well. But for us they closed a few. As appetizers, while we were waiting for dinner, they served roasted peanuts, sweets and mandarins. Something different to our crisps and dips.
The next week we invited all the bear workers out to Longqiao for Christmas dinner, Chinese food of course. Again we received presents from the bear workers, a scarf and some gloves. To think that most Chinese don’t even celebrate Christmas. But they do know how to eat and be merry. This time after the dinner and some slightly friendly forcedly made speeches, including myself, we went for Karaoke… with a select group of people. It was good fun and for once I actually had some bears, much to the delight of the bear workers.
Two days later we made a more western Christmas dinner for all the foreigners and a handful of Chinese staff. They politely said that they liked it but the truth is that it was of course not spicy enough. We did have a very enjoyable evening and again opened some presents, this time it was us giving them presents.
We also had presents for the entire bear workers team. It was the most fun Christmas I have had but also quite an expensive one. Not just the presents but we just couldn’t stop going for dinners. You would think this Christmas dinner was the last… but no, on Christmas eve we made pizza’s and watched a ‘feel good’ movie. Christmas day I had to work. I had bought some chocolates on sticks in Christmas theme and gave one to every bear worker. I had my Christmas earrings in and was wearing a warm red jacket.. almost felt like miss Santa. The girls that had the day off made a luxurious lunch and for dinner we went to the posh Shangri La hotel for a very indulgent buffet and a lick of the life sized gingerbread house. Was that it… well yes for Christmas but no for dinners. Of to another one, a farewell this time, but still dinner!

Wishing everyone a merry Christmas and all the very best for a happy 2009.