This week, I have been getting lots of “Merry Christmas” wishes from my students, and from strangers, too. I say, “thank you and merry Christmas to you,” because it would take too long to explain that I am not a Christmas celebrant. Besides, the Chinese language doesn’t have guttural aspirates, so Chanukah would just confuse them.

Our students tell us that celebrating Christmas is very popular in China, and they all celebrate it with their friends. This surprised me, so I asked them what they meant by “celebrate”.

They told me that most holidays in China are celebrated with family, and there are lots of traditions that dictate exactly what everyone is supposed to do. For them, Christmas is a new holiday, and it doesn’t have any traditions associated with it, yet. So our students can celebrate by doing whatever they want. Most of them go out to dinner with their friends.

They seem to like Christmas a lot.

For many Jews in the States, Christmas is a special time. We gather our families together and walk empty streets dusted with snow, making a slow, careful exodus from the comfort of our warm homes through the frosty air to our magical destination…the Chinese restaurant, because it is the only place open on Christmas (Protestant work ethic? Bah Humbug!). There we gorge ourselves on Dim Sum and conversation (I’d tell you what we talk about, but it’s secret).

So for me, Christmas in China feels just like home.

Merry Christmas!