Volunteering to gift wrap is a great idea – shopping for others and giving helps also. Remembering the reason for the season will help. Find some joy in spending time with others….. hope this helps!

I understand… if you’re going through stress and things are rough… the holidays can be a blah. I would think about things that you are truly thankful for… even if they are small, and even if you feel a bit selfish being grateful for them! Being thankful for anything that you feel is positive in your life is a nice way to let a little cheer in.

RMB, USD, Euro, HKD

i usually do the Advent thing. Buy the five candles-one for each of the four weeks leading to christmas, one for christmas day, lighting one candle each sunday and the last, the center candle, on christmas day. advent begins on Dec 2 this year, i think…hang on a sec, let me shoot you a link…en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advent_wreath

ok, it’s gonna tell you that it’s a celebration of the coming of the Christ Child. yeah, ok. but christmas is on dec 25 for a reason. it’s placed very near the winter solstice, on the old birthdate of mithras-long story and an old one-basically celebrating the inevitability of the ending of the dark and the coming again of the white and the light. on the day of the winter solstice day and night, dark and light, are balanced. from that day forward, however slow it may seem, the march is toward hope and warmth and light.

that’s what advent is about. advent means it’s coming. the day of hope is coming. three of the candles are violet, symbolizing faithful expectation, one, the last, is rose: joy and hope. i like spending the season in a spirit of faithful expectation, knowing that the coming of the white is inevitable but celebrating it all the same-that ancient green magic, predating Christianity by eons…sympathetic magic, as above, so below.

the concrete nature of the advent candles and wreath anchors me spiritually, gives me a touch of magic…fire and green and the reminder that in the darkest hour is the beginning of the light. always and forever and without exception…winter solstice magic, as long as the earth keeps the same tilt to its axis…

The “Yuan” and “RMB” are one in the same. The smallest value of currency is 0.10 (Yi Jiao), which is 1/10 of 1 RMB, or 1 Yuan. The largest note is only 100 RMB, worth about US Dollars. 14.75.

The US Dollar is most accepted, although you can easily change Euros and other popular currencies. Try to get some money at the bank before you leave, otherwise, plan to take money a ATM machines (check with your bank for costs). Don’t change at the hotel or at a money changer unless there is no other option. You can change money at local banks if you don’t mind asking for a little help, there should be at least one person in the bank who speaks English and can guide you.

Although you can use international credit cards at major hotels and restauarants, cash is king.

Have a great trip!

Treat Yourself, Go shopping by all means, but for You! We all have our low times, these DO go away. Get out more and don’t dwell on what has happened, consent rate on the good things, that are sure to happen!! Chins up.

oh girl be grateful for what you have it can be gone in a second. my husband had a stroke last night and my world might come to a end.. so my suggestion is get drunk on wine

Get all your work, chores done, save some money, then go for a holiday. Only this way u can really enjoy, carefree.

It’s best to bring money in your own country’s currency, then change it when you get to China. Banks give better exchange rates than anywhere else, but you can only get the best rates if you’re a customer – fortunately it only takes about 10 minutes to apply for an account (much more efficient than in England), and they will give you an ATM card that you can use in any machine instead of being limited to a only the ones that accept foreign cards. The Bank of China usually has English-speaking staff.

So change a small amount of cash at the airport to pay for taxis or whatever, then go to your nearest Bank of China branch to open an account and exchange the rest of your money. It’s a pain in the backside to change money back though, so only change as much as you will need.

Buy some “Holiday Cheer”, and drink it while decorating for Christmas, and listening to Christmas music. Try Hot buttered rum, apple cider, egg nog with or with out alcohol, Chocolate peppermint martini, etc. Also works while wrapping presents.

I would bring the British pound and exchange for yuan in China. You can do it at the airport. I’m not sure about the U.K., but the U.S. rips you off with exchange rates, so it’s best for Americans to exchange in China. The Chinese typically give fair rates. If the U.K. gives fair rates, then you can exchange it there. Either way, you can only spend Chinese currency in China. It is also useful to bring a credit or debit card, just in case you find yourself spending a little more than you planned. VISA is the best credit card. I had a MasterCard and I was able to withdraw money, but it was a bit of a hassle, because for some reason not all the banks would accept it. This was in the big cities, too.

I would say Santorini. It is lovely, romantic, and with many store for you, don’t worry!

You can check this site for more information:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santorini

Paros or Naxos will be great for you. Also Siphnos or Milos. You can combine Paros+NAxos or Siphnos+Milos, as the pairs are on the same ferry line. Just don’t stay in the town where the port is on any of the mentioned islands.

Just what you said – The holidays are more about giving than receiving (except for little kids). Go shopping and get excited about doing something nice for other people in your life. You could also try and get an x-mas tree (for the wonderful smell), go ice skating, listen to holiday music, hang some lights? If you’re even more philanthropic, you could go and volunteer and do something nice for the homeless or someone else that would make you feel good about yourself!

If you’ve feeling down, another sure cure is to exercise. The natural endorphins will act like an anti-depressant.

RMB, of course.