This year, I get to celebrate Christmas a whole 13 hours earlier! But all that excitement was negated by the perils of the Beijing work commute.

1) It’s 12 degrees outside, with a very brutal wind blowing, which makes it feel like -7 degrees.

2) I ended up having to wait in this -7-degree wind for 20 minutes for the bus.

3) For absolutely no reason other than the sheer inability of Beijing drivers to drive non-haphazardly and in way that would ensure a smoother flow of traffic, it took 45 minutes for the bus to go three stops down Xisanhuan Beilu, or about 3 kilometers.

As a result, I am frozen and 45 minutes late* for work. Still, it’s Christmas, and I’m determined to make merry. Turning on the Christmas music now and opening my lone present.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

(NB: Work starts at 8:30 a.m. I leave the apartment by 7:45, and the bus ride usually takes less than 20 minutes.)