To be politically correct, Santa's not for everyone

When a former Chinese student asked me if I would go home during the "merry Christmas", I felt it was time to set things straight: "First of all," I answered, "I consider China as my home now, and Xmas lasts only 24 hours, so I don't have time to go back."

A common misunderstanding among many of my Chinese friends is to believe that Christmas is the beginning of the new year in the West and all non-Chinese persons celebrate the festive occasion in the same way.

Also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas and Kris Kringle, this legendary figure doesn't represent "Western culture", but belongs to "some" Western cultures. And there are more Western cultures than there are Western countries.