Christmas is approaching, and wouldn't you know it Santa has broke through into chinese air space and is unofficially spreading Christmas cheer to everyone. Why not, why wouldn't the mostly athiest population of China embrace this holy day.
China and Christmas go together quite well in fact. Why not, it's a great reason for people to go out and spend money and in China not have all that damn religion in the way. So malls and department stores hoist up there trees to lure those hip young chinese into buying a little Christmas cheer.
so, I decided last week to take a trip to Hankou to get some new sweaters because I didn't want to get caught without some layers when this place goes from cold to freezing. I only know the name of one road in Hankou which I told the taxi driver to take me to. This ended up being nowhere near where I wanted to go, and I was dropped into what we will call the maze.
Ahh the maze what wonders it holds, everything you need from bathroom tiles to fake plants. Packed alleyways in which after about five minutes me and the partner in crime were lost in a sea of people carts and craziness that would drive most to maddness faster than you can blink an eye. But wait, don't you dare blink an eye, oh no,(A) you ethier get more lost and die of starvation trapped between a jeans store and an alarm clock enporium, (B) get robbed and not even know it until you emerge from the maze and find you don't have any money to make it home, (C) get run over by a man furious and speeding with a delivery of 250 fake Gucci hand bags.
So well lost in the maze I was starting to lose all hope, when what to my wondering eyes appear a mechanical Santa Clause and no reindeer. Yes there stood Kris Kingle, five feet tall and ringing his bell, a light of hope for me as extreme hunger started to set in. Well let's say I was charged and decided NO I would not die here. So with new found strength I charged out of the maze unharmed. But don't get me wrong and don't underestimate the maze it has claimed many-a-soul and it's navigation is trecherous, but you can buy anything you want there ... anything ...
In closeing I guess my spotting Santa actual relates me back to China and Christmas.
I think that anyone who wants to have Christmas should go ahead, religous or not, Christmas is a holdiday for everyone and i'm glad it's shared around the world as a festive time, even if you have to spy it out on the other side of the world amoungst fake trees and mechanical Santa's ...
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Ah, the joys of commercialism reach all over the world. Glad to hear you made it our of the maze intact. You aren't considering taking me to this shopping mecca are you? We'd have to prepare, survival kit, food and water, a cell phone so we could contact the outside world, flashlight and matches(you always need matches, in a watertight container i might add)... I do love to shop but not when I'm taking my life in my hands. Maybe a shopping trip with a little less adventure would be better....
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