Santa Claus comes to town in various forms

While there is no shortage of Christmas-themed parties and nightclub events this month in Shanghai, foreign and even inflatable Santas are starting to make their presence felt around the country.

In some cases, such interpretations represent a mishmash of cultural influences that may seem bizarre to those in the West.

Last Christmas, the Washington Post published a blog entry asking why so many Santa dolls in China are depicted playing the saxophone. Local netizens replied that the instrument suited Santa's globe-trotting image as it is foreign, romantic, cool and portable.