|
California
Christmas Ethnic Gifts and Shopping Centers
Living in
Southern California near the largest
Vietnamese population outside Saigon (they
call it Little Saigon in Westminster),
Christmas holidays in Orange County and
Southern California are a bit schizophrenic,
if I can be so frank.
Right on
the border of the Vietnamese and Korean
communities, there melds the Hispanic, very
Catholic Santa Ana, a city where over 50% of
the population is Spanish and close to 100%
celebrate Christmas.
Well,
guess what? Vietnamese Americans also
celebrate Christmas in their own special
way, even though their religions and
holidays are more prominent in their daily
lives. First, the kids and adults all
discover when going to school or running a
business in the area, that one or two days
per year nearly halt all business operations
in the region. Christmas would be the top
event to have that effect. It always comes
on December 25, regardless of the day of the
week.
In
addition to their revenue streams drying up
on December 25, the Asian population also
holds a large number of service industry
type businesses such as hair and nail
salons. These industries that cater to
all ethnic groups are quick to maximize
their operations and close on days such as
Christmas or even New Year's Day (January
1).
Having
attended the Chinese New Year and Vietnamese
New Year Celebrations in San Francisco and
Little Saigon, I have enjoyed traveling the
globe within a few miles radius of my home.
And what I have learned is that each culture
embraces some pretty cool traditions with
much fanfare, and similar emotions to the
religious Christmas holiday Christians
embrace.
If you
are seeking to expand your horizons, you
don't have to travel the globe, but can see
it in California, a microcosm. For
superb holiday shopping, you may feel
somewhat like a foreigner in Westminster's
Asian Gardens Shopping Mall and downtown
Santa Ana's plaza areas. But I suggest you
head over to the Westminster California for
jewelry, jade and other gifts (even try a CD
with their top recording artists) as a gift
for someone who seeks a totally unexpected,
totally new experience. Then promise
them you'll take them shopping at this mall
and surrounding stores.
Anytime
of year, you'll find lots of red & gold
embellishments on lamps and gifts, and
you'll feel that Christmas is available
anytime, depending on your perspective.
calsite
|
