It's Christmastime in the City

Good Tidings

Ok, kith and kin. I've got 164 Christmas songs loaded onto my mp3 player and Pandora holiday stations queued up. I've trawled Netflix and Hulu for seasonal movies, and holiday decorations have been procured.
 

Seasonal, right?

In case you ever doubted it, all the lovely cheap plastic holiday decorations are made in Chinese factories, and over in Haizhu Square, we found a tight little alley full to the gunwales with Christmas decor. All that was missing was loudspeakers playing tinny Christmas music.

It's an Advent wreath. I just need some candles.

We're not the only ones in the holiday spirit, either. I was exploring a new mall today, called the Taikoo (It's across the street from OneLink, which is next to the Grandview, which is next toTee Mall, which is next to the Grandbuy. Yes, there are five giant malls all in a row. I know. It boggles the mind.). Anyway, they (all) are decorated for Christmas, and I would say about half of the stores are playing Christmas music. At Taikoo, you can even visit Santa Claus at his home in Finland.

Really. Santa lives in Finland, according to the sign.

In other news, I bought some cute new shoes. There are Buddhist shoes. What does that mean? Well, they're made of cloth and they are super comfortable. A coworker recommended them and we hit up the shop on Changshoulu yesterday. She was picking up some boots she had ordered. Apparently, other people think it's getting cold. I admit, last weekend, the mornings were a tad nippy. I was happy to wear my sweatshirt on my walk to work. But yesterday and today were back in the high seventies. There are flowering trees in bloom in the courtyard garden. I keep wondering if I'm still going to be waiting for it to get cold when Spring arrives. Ah, well. I have always wondered what a year without shoveling is like.

I'm ready to hike a holy mountain. Or go to work. Whichever.

Last, but not least, you can check off another item on the list of things I've never tried. A few friends and I went for some cupping on Monday night. Cupping is a TCM practice in which a flame is held in a glass cup, which is then quickly applied to your back, where it forms a mild vacuum seal. It's not particularly painful, and I did find it a bit relaxing. It does, however, leave a few ... well, calling them bruises makes them sounds painful. Hickeys? Yeah, they're like hickeys. The depth of color of said marks can then be interpreted to make suggestions for better health. Mine apparently tell me that I've got an overabundance of fire in my body, and should avoid deep fried foods and spicy foods.

Creepy looking, but painless.

That's really all I have to say this week. I hope all of you are getting into the Christmas spirit, regardless of where you are. Remember, Christmas is not a place, it's a frame of mind.

18 Days to Christmas!