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Another Christmas in China is fast approaching, with all its potential for boosting GDP. The holiday has penetrated every corner of the country. Christmas songs started playing in convenience stores and markets in November. Twinkling Christmas trees abound, and cardboard Santas, and reindeer, and elves beckon shoppers to empty their Wechat wallets. In a Tianjin supermarket last week, I brushed past a full-size robotic Santa Claus and triggered its motion sensor. The white-bearded Jolly Old Elf began to dance and chuckle: "Ho, ho, ho!" What could I do? I took a selfie with him. The religious overtones of Christmas have long since faded, supplanted by commercialism. But that's OK with me. Apart from wrecking my bank account for the good of society, the holiday provides an opportunity to renew friendships, connect with colleagues, express appreciation and interact with loved ones. These things are often accompanied by gift-giving. If buying them helps the economy, so much the better. But what really sets Christmas apart is the magic. Young children innocently believe in magic, and it's a tragedy that so many adults grow out of it. I never did. At the center of Christmas magic is Santa Claus. Children in America know that one night each year, after they go to sleep, the kindly red-clad elf with the white beard visits in his flying sleigh pulled by reindeer. He leaves gifts — toys, treats and even ordinary necessities, which somehow became more wonderful - in stockings or under Christmas trees, to be discovered in the morning with wide-eyed delight. | 
