Reindeer

Time flies. Before we know, it will be Christmas. And then New Year. By early January everyone would look like Santa by virtue of their belly.

Last year I celebrated Christmas in Singapore. The scene at Orchard Road on Christmas Eve was chaotic. The streets were packed with semi-intoxicated carbon units in their teens that would have been better off sitting at home baking cookies.

Maybe I was just in the wrong corner that evening. There was one year I was in Singapore and had a wonderful time on Christmas eve; close to midnight, singing hymns and partaking of the Holy Communion at a Presbyterian Church.

The year before I celebrated Christmas in Qingdao, in the Shandong province of China. It probably snowed a few days before, wasn’t exactly a white Christmas, but nevertheless Christmas like. Only problem is, the Chinese knows only one way to celebrate Christmas, and that is with their beer.

Electric christmas tree …

I missed my church members, but other than that I’m used to my nomadic lifestyle, so I’ve never had to deal with celebrating Christmas away from home feeling, but I can see how some people would.

There is an International Christian Fellowship that I used to attend in Qingdao. I’m not very fond of International Fellowships just because most people there are temporary visitors, instead of committed to service ministry members, but that’s just my impression and it could be flawed.

Non-Chinese speaking visitors would be glad to find a church in Qingdao for Christmas service. I know I did. Service is held at 25F Hisense Building, 17 Donghai Xi Lu on Sundays at 10 a.m.

I’m linking a Google Map of the area. If you zoom out a little, you’ll see an arrow showing the location of Qingdao Equatorial Hotel.

I figured most travelers would recognize the hotel as a landmark. If not, well, my GPS coordinates cache only goes back so far. I’ve been to places since.

This year I’ll be celebrating Christmas in United States. Christmas tree and ornaments is a requirement. It’s an unwritten policy, probably at par with every kid should have a dog rule. Even if it’s a small one, it’s a must.

The mood has been set. Christmas tree is in place. Sitting in the dark on a comfy sofa with a dog on my lap and flickering Christmas lights, I heard this hilarious song titled Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer. I like songs that tell a story.

Now, if it snows this year, this Christmas Day will be a perfect one.