Christmas is no longer the exotic Western import it once was, and so one group of revelers is preparing to restore the lost luster of the season by reaching back to their childhoods.

In a nod to this post-Christmas zeitgeist, a local website has called on the city's young professionals to spend Christmas Eve getting in touch with those memories by playing the games of their childhoods.

"We've always celebrated Christmas in a Western style. We go to bars or clubs with friends to celebrate the season. Christmas does not seem so special anymore," said Zhao Ye, the chief executive of www.metroer.com and the man behind the games.

"Christmas is an exotic festival for the Chinese, so we want to make it more local so it becomes a festival for us," he added.

Zhao chose Fuxing Park, a historic French-style park that was once famous for its children's palace, as the venue for his Christmas Eve get-together.

The park is currently home to many entertainment venues like karaoke clubs and bars, but to many locals, the park was once a childhood paradise, replete with merry-go-rounds and bumper cars, Zhao said.

Zhao's goal is to help people relive their childhoods that night by playing children's games like shuttlecocks, rubber-band dancing, hopscotch and roller skating.

"We encourage people to dress warmly for the party. Traditional Chinese padded coats will be the best choice," he said. "We will hold a competition for who wears the most."

A lot of Shanghai white-collar workers have shown interests in the event, and some have already booked tickets. Zhao estimated that nearly 300 people would attend. "To my surprise, some people in their 40s and 30s want to join us," he said.

Sunny Yang, a woman from Hunan Province who works with a foreign trade company in Shanghai, was one of the first netizens to sign up. "I was so fascinated when I heard about the party, although I never played at Fuxing Park when I was a child. It will be a great night and definitely an exciting experience," she said.

Xu Qian said she liked the idea because "Christmas has become too commercialized in the city. I am tired of the way people celebrate. I want to try something different."

(China Daily December 22, 2006)