Tony's home recuperating. We decided it would be a good day for us to put up the Christmas tree. Not the same like in Connecticut. We have a tradition where we go out and pick a fresh cut tree and spend the weekend decorating it. This tree isn't fresh cut and came out of a box. Tony put it together and Matthew and I put the decorations on. Not quite the same but it's better than nothing. We're not going anywhere this Christmas holiday. We're going to stay in Shanghai and just take it easy. Last year, we spent Christmas and New Year's in Hong Kong. It will be interesting to see what Shanghai has to offer for the Christmas holidays here. Most of the expatriates are returning home to spend the holidays. While assembling the tree, we noticed that there was a little tag on the tree branch that read "Flammable". Ok- that's not something we would expect. All the faux trees in the US are non-flammable. Another reality for living in Shanghai. There isn't the same standards for safety here. Take for instance, restaurants. There isn't a smoking and non-smoking section. Well, if there is, it's a matter of be separated by one table. Hello--- what's to stop the smoke from spewing over to the non-smoking area? Have they heard of proper ventilation? Apparently not. Second hand smoke is an issue. We often walk out smelling like ashtrays.
So, Christmas is several weeks away. Uncle Tony will be mailing our holiday cards from New York when he gets back later this week. I still haven't figured out what to get Matthew and Tony for Christmas. I don't think cash would work in this instance. Gift cards are not even an option here. The stores don't get the concept. Looks like I have to go around and educate the locals on the benefits of selling gift cards.
