"Alone in a foreign land as a foreign guest, I miss my family all the more on every festive day." This line of prose was composed by a Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet, and today, it strikes a chord with those who find it difficult spending the holidays so far from home, family and friends.

 

And surely, there's hardly an expat in the city who doesn't get a little Grinchy upon hearing I'll Be Home for Christmas - perhaps the most relevant Western equivalent of the aforementioned Chinese prose.

 

But it doesn't take much searching to find Beijing has everything needed to become a home away from home - even during the holidays.

 

A cursory glance around the city shows signs the capital has begun to embrace the Western holiday. Today, Santa Clauses and their helpful elves, Christmas trees, angels, tinsel, glitter, snowflakes and all other imaginable yuletide trimmings abound around town.

 

But if Beijing's Christmas spirit just isn't enough, you can always turn to the wonderful World Wide Web to create your own envisaged happy holiday.

 

There are six suggestions for ways to get into the spirit of the season and beat back those holiday blues.

 

Carol crooning

 

Many would agree with American Charlie Shifflett, from Florida, that music - Christmas carols, in this case - has the power to create a festive mood.

 

This might be why this website offering free Christmas music downloads chose the address feelslikechristmas.com. A wide selection of seasonal songs - instrumental, traditional and contemporary - is available in the form of legal MP3 downloads.

 

There are also a number of online radio stations playing tunes from the holiday music genre during the season. Apple's digital radio player iTunes, which can be downloaded for free at www.download.com, opens channels to four Internet radio stations streaming holiday music 24/7. Songs available on these channels, including 181 FM, 1 FM tm, Sky Radio and Soma FM, come in a variety of musical styles, as is suggested by available titles such as A Capella Holiday, Country Christmas, the soulful Sounds of Christmas and the quirky Xmas in Frisco.

 

The San Francisco-based station Xmas in Frisco, operated by Soma FM, broadcasts a range of holiday music that mixes the past with the future and includes everything from "Christmas chill-out" to "Hanukkah hip-hop".

 

The digital radio RealPlayer, which connects to 5,000 Web stations across the globe, provides free access to broadcasters, such as South America's Radio Brasil, the Paris-based Notre Dame Radio and other Christmas-focused channels from Rome to Warsaw and Berlin.

 

Virtually visit Santa

 

Children who want to listen to traditional tunes or sing karaoke along with Santa Claus and the elves could tune in to the toons on the Web, which offers a myriad of animated Christmas-themed sites.

 

One of the best, www.northpole.com, is a virtual Christmas wonderland. The site's Santa's Secret Village features elf chat rooms, digital toys, a holiday jukebox and free Christmas e-cards.

 

Northpole.com also claims to be able to track Santa's launch and parabolas of flight on Christmas Eve across six world quadrants, including Asia, thanks to its once-a-year, 24-hour partnership with the North American Air Defense system. NORAD radar system, which has 47 installations strung across northern Canada and Alaska, has enabled Northpole.com to provide kids real-time data and images on Santa's flight patterns.

 

Lonely night?

 

If most of your friends have left town and celebrating alone doesn't appeal to you, cyberspace offers numerous places for virtual group celebrations. Among them is the "Practical Fun in the Now" group on Facebook. They are looking for people to join their Christmas Eve march around Beijing in Santa costumes to "make this Christmas in Beijing one to remember". More information is available at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6372186999.

 

Spice up your life

 

Collect recipes and friends for a cookie-baking or pudding-making party.

 

If this sounds both like fun and too much work, join a local Chinese-cuisine cooking class for a different type of culinary experience, fun and flavors.

 

There are a number of English-language services dedicated to hands-on instruction of cooking Chinese cuisine, such as Chinese Culture Club (www.chinesecultureclub.org), Chef-at-Work (www.chef-at-work.com) and Mr Wang's Chinese Neighborhood (www.chineseneighbor.com).

 

The Chef-at-Work cooking class is now offering a Christmas and New Years special, in which registration of up to four people costs 100 yuan per person per three-hour session.

 

Winter wonderland

 

While its natural to more or less hibernate in the warm indoors throughout the season, you could find that embracing the winter weather instead can be a breath of fresh air.

 

You just need to bundle up and put on a good pair of walking shoes; Beijing has so much to explore, and it doesn't just vanish with the onset of winter.

 

In fact, winter is a wonderful time to hobble along the hutong, and if you don't want to go alone, you could join the Chinese Culture Club's guided hutong excursion in Xuanwu District from 2pm to 4:20pm on Christmas Day.

 

Those who prefer new to the old have a number of other options, such as visiting newly completed Olympic venues.

 

Taking center stage

 

The National Center for the Performing Arts - AKA The Dome, The Egg, The Mothership - whatever you call it, is scheduled to open on December 23 with a concert featuring the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, the Chinese National Symphony Orchestra and the China Philharmonic.

 

If symphony isn't your cup of tea, Christmas Shoes might be the right fit. The large, carnival dancing drama from Chicago will be staged at Beijing Exhibition Hall Theater through December 24.

 

Helping hand

 

Whatever your religious persuasion, "love thy neighbors" is almost universally accepted as a creed. And in today's global village, "thy neighbors" are everyone, everywhere.

 

Your kindness and help is always welcomed by the various charity organizations stationed in Beijing.

 

Beijing Huiling

 

Beijing Huiling is an NGO promoting community-based services for people with mental disabilities. Based in a hutong courtyard house, the center is always in great need of volunteers and donations.

 

31 Dashizuo Hutong, Jiangshan Qianjie, Xicheng District. 6404-6631.http://www.huiling.org.cn/

 

International Newcomers' Network

 

As the name suggests, International Newcomers' Network offers advice and suggestions for new arrivals in Beijing. They also organize monthly lectures and meetings for its membership. Currently, the organization is in great need of Volunteer Board Members. The board meets from 10am to 12pm on the second Monday of each month at the Capital Club.

 

If you are interested in pitching in, please contact at paigewilson5@hotmail.com

 

Local primary school needs support

 

Built up in 2004 to offer education for over 100 homeless children from across the country, Guangai Primary School in Matou village of Shunyi District is in urgent need of old clothes, books, meat, oil and second-hand computers. If you intend to help, please ask for Ms Song at 6657-8833 or deliver your donations directly to May Flower Oral Clinic, 3/F, Building 2, 28 Financial Street, Xicheng District.

 

Charity in China

 

For more information about charitable organizations in China, you can also register with Charity in China, where you can sign up to receive periodic updates about opportunities to help needy families in the country.

 

Visit http://www.charityinchina.com/signup/ to get started.

 

Come all ye faithful

 

All the world's great religious traditions are represented in Beijing. During the holiday season, the following religious organizations will hold regular or special services to meet the needs of the faithful, whether they be residents of Beijing or visitors to the city.

 

 (Beijing Weekend, China Daily, December 23, 2007)