“Anyway, Merry Fxxking Christmas!” People send their greetings this way in this bleak winter.

When Americans are struggling to make mortgage payments and credit-card minimums, my friends in Beijing also told me they would rather stay at home watching endless free TV shows on Christmas Eve than spend time and money in luxury restaurants or posh resorts.

However, business men are still trying their best to spur consumption with sales discounts, special gifts, and grand Christmas trees you will see in today’s video selection.

Please… don’t compare the following scenes in Water Cube, Wangfujing, and Xidan with the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree decorated with 18,000 lights.

If you just don’t like Christmas lights which might add a huge bill to your account and bring extra emission of tons of greenhouse gases, please join the Free Hugs Campaign in downtown Beijing:

The purple board read, “2008 is an unusual year. Let’s pray for 2009 with music, and sincere hugs! Let’s get people closer to each other! We will have a brighter future!”