It's beginning to look alot like Christmas

The children's craft corner at the Nordica Christmas Fair
our staff serving up our fresh brewed Ethiopia blend
Selling the holiday gift bags and ymmy goodies
My friends Amber and Chen Jia
It's is SO COLD here in our city right now. Slippers, electric blankets, and lots of hot drinks are an absolute must at this time of year because of the lack of central heating in our apartment. When I get Bailey dressed in the morning she has to wear thick tights under her thick socks and pants as well as three layers on top- and this is what she wears inside! I have a puffy pink hippo outfit that I put on over her clothes when she goes outside. She doesn't like putting it on, but once it's on she's okay with it. Despite the discomfort, the nice thing about the cold is that it makes it feel more like Christmas here. We have a tree and decorations in our house and in Chicago Coffee, but other than that you wouldn't really know it's Christmas time. Some of the bigger stores like the French store Carrefour have Christmas decor, but it's not a holiday that Chinese people celebrate. This weekend was especially fun because of the Nordica Christmas Fair. TC/G Nordica is a Scandinavian/Chinese art gallery that I've been involved with for the last three years. I ran there dance program there for a while, and now I continue to teach both adult and children's dance lessons there several times a week. Every December they hold a fair for people to come and sell various handicrafts, jewelry, and food while muscians play live Christmas music. This year Chicago Coffee took part by selling our special "Holiday Blend" coffee as well as mugs and deserts from our store. It was a nice experience to enjoy buying a few gifts, see friends, and get into the Christmas spirit.