Spending Christmas in China, whether you are a resident or a traveler, can often feel a bit weird. Christmas trees appear everywhere and Santa hats suddenly seem listed as employee dress code for employees in shops. KFC even runs ad campaigns featuring gift wrapped buckets of chicken dropping down chimneys with an excited family waiting around a Christmas tree. This can all feel a little surreal, particularly when your family is far away and most Chinese don’t actually celebrate Christmas in the western sense. However, I managed to find some Christmas cheer by going to the Bird's Nest on Christmas Eve. I was astonished to find an eloquently decorated Christmas wonderland among the famous Olympic landmarks. It featured rows of Christmas trees spanning more than a half mile, with a massive tree right in front of the Bird’s Nest. The stadium’s lights were complimented by the Water Cube’s glow, mixing perfectly with the lights of the surrounding Christmas trees. Anyone in the area next year should stop by and take a look. I have to say, for the moment the spell was broken when I noticed a small army of women clad in Santa suits selling merchandise and a stage with a break dancing competition. I guess you can’t fault another culture for putting its own spin on Christmas, especially when people around you are smiling and enjoying the evening with their loved ones. For New Years Eve, I would recommend San Li Tun, a bar street and shopping area in the Chaoyangdistrict. The sheer variety of bars, pubs, and clubs of varying nationality and theme makes it easy to move about and find a scene that best suits you. Now of course the Chinese New Year is upon us. Fireworks stalls are appearing on every corner of Beijing and my host mother is excited about making dumplings together. However, aside from fireworks and dumplings, I am not sure how to properly bring in the year of the Ox. Does anyone have suggestions about places to go or things to do in Beijing?