Children bring Christmas to China

While most Chinese still regard Christmas as a foreign flight of fancy, the commercial trappings of what many Westerners view as the most magical time of the year are inexorably gaining traction among the country's growing middle class - often through their offspring.

"My boy told me he has written a letter to Santa asking for a Hot Wheels toy car, which he really wants," says He Jiajing. "The reason is that Hot Wheels can't break easily," she adds.

At just 6 years of age, her son Zhao Junxi is already fed up with settling for second best, or local products marked by lower standards of workmanship.