This is Christmas...???...Really?!

So, I've had time to collect my thoughts on the whole "Christmas in China" experience...and I still don't have the words to adequately and accurately describe it.
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I actually managed to decorate my apartment and make it look semi-Christmasy. In fact, my apartment still looks like Christmas and will until the 28th of January when I get back from my travels. (Forgot to take it all down before I left.) Anyway, the decorations were...ARE as follows: I spend a whopping 18 kuai ($2.5) on a Charlie Brown Christmas tree -- complete with lights that had 8 different blinking settings! Stockings were difficult to come by. I bought the only 2 in Beibei and were they gaudy! But my Chinese friends (more like sisters) loved them all the same.
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On Christmas Eve, we (the English teachers and some of our friends) had a potluck dinner at my apartment. There was a wide assortment of American and Chinese dishes and no one left hungry. I was in charge of mashed potatoes and somehow managed to pull off fudge too (but it was nothing compared to yours, Grannie!) In addition we had grilled veggies, salad, rolls, duck & chicken (feet and heads included!), ganbien tu dou (Chinese fries), dougan (firm tofu) and spring onions, lotus, and so much more... But it would not be complete without baijiu (thanks Robb). This is the most disgusting alcohol -- the celebratory drink of China. I can't even begin to describe it. The smell alone makes me sick and the taste...death in a bottle at 57% (that's kinda low for Baijiu) -- but the Chinese love it. We kinda see it as a mark of strength if you can take a sip without grimacing. If you've had it, you know what I'm talking about.
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But the main story of our Christmas in China was what happended in downtown Beibei. I had heard stories but never witnessed it. It definitely lived up to its reputation. Here's the account of our adventure. Believe me if you can...
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The 8 of us -- Kyle, Drew, Keegan, Jackie, Tracey, Evan, Evan's girlfriend, and me -- jumped on a surprisingly uncrowded little yellow bus and headed toward the weirdest and most confused Christmas celebration I have ever partaken in. Walking down to the main square, the massive population of China in evident; people fill the walkway and the streets but, unlike in America, I (standing at 5 feet 2 inches) can almost see over the crowd. Street vendors selling inflatable bats and aerosal cans of fake snow (more like soap suds) are a dime a dozen. I convince the guys to go in on a purchase of bats with me. They reluctantly agree.
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The entire square is filled with people beating the crap out of their family and friends while covering each other in the fake snow. As soon as we have our bats in hand, the fighting begins. Being the token foreigners, we are attacked by anyone and everyone. And if you ran, they ran after you. At times all I could do was cover my head with my arms and search for safety (laughing the whole time though). Tracey and I had a epic battle across the entire square and back again -- everyone wondering what in the world we were doing. A classic moment came when Keegan was attacked multiple times by a group of 14 year old girls -- all we did was stand back and laugh as he struggled against the onslaught of bats.
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After a few hours, we were worn out and decided to retire from fighting. Our great Christmas adventure was over but it will never -- it CANNOT be -- forgotten.
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Jackie, Tracey, and I spent Christmas together. Opening present and cooking an amazing breakfast (which half consisted of leftovers). The other teachers came by later and a puzzle was attempted as is tradition in my family. Dinner was the Chongqing classic -- Hot Pot -- which we ate at the base of the mountain in Beibei with our Chinese teacher and her parents. It was a nice conclusion to our Christmas in China -- a mix of East and West.
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Picutres are here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2050565&l=4c202&id=42901658