This 2016 Christmas season found me away from my family, failing to be with them in the U.S., and failing to print and mail out my annual Christmas letters. I was to go back on December 8th, but changed my schedule because my 98-year-old mother asked me to stay one month longer.

My family in the U.S. managed to have a good Christmas, as the pictures showed. My wife and I even received a $1000 worth of range as a Christmas gift from our sons and daughters-in-law.

In my hometown Shima (Longhai, Fujian), we did not have much of a celebration, but we did have the quasi quality of Christmas, in the form of peace and tranquility, and in the form of some visits and publications to commemorate my father, and to cheer my mother. A 1944 Christmas story in war-time Germany about an encounter of U.S. and German soldiers finally making peace under the auspices of a farm woman, and in the spirit of Christmas, deeply touched me. I just wish that peace and humanity will prevail everywhere in the world--my homeland included.

May you have a joyous New Year of 2017!

Soon after the initial web page was published, I learned that the link to the 1944 Christmas story was hijacked. Its link had been redirected to pornographic sites. (So, instead of a live link, I've changed it to a PDF file.) In my hometown Shima, a lot of things were forced upon unwilling or unwary recipients. Like firecrackers in the depth of the night; like Internet browsing, where you wish to go, the path is blocked; where you never wish to visit, they come upon you without your asking. Streets are inundated with loud noises broadcast from loud speakers selling all kinds of bargains.

A lot of old things are disappearing fast in my hometown Shima. Ponds, lakes and streams of my childhood have mostly been filled and built on. Or they have become dirty and smelly sewage canals. The river that my hometown depends so much on is getting narrower and shallower. Its water is no longer drinkable. Its riverbed no longer produces yellow sand. My Alma Mater, Longhai 1st High School, now has a new site in a far-away location. The old campus is still here, but the stream at the school gate, and the river at its back, are gone forever.

My other Alma Mater, the West Lake Primary School, has long been changed to Longhai Experimental Primary School. Mr. Lin the principal just visited us yesterday (photo). He was here to cheer us, a forgotten martyr's family in their neighborhood. There used to be a narrow alley leading from our home to the school, a three minute walk. That alley had been sealed a few years ago. See the photo I took yesterday from our fourth floor balcony. A small alley indeed, but one where my education and life started. Changes are taking place everywhere. West side of the alley where my family home is will soon be torn down. New developments, new buildings are popping up. That is the sign of social progress for sure. Just hope that attention will be applied to protection of environment and old historical sites.

My two other visitors from yesterday were local high school students (photo) when I was their English teacher nearly 40 years ago. Reverence for the teacher and love for the pupils has long been the tradition of Chinese culture. Like other old things mentioned above, they are our national treasure and should be preserved.

2016年的圣诞节跟过去的二十多年的最大不同就是我人在家乡石码。没有能够像往年那样从美国给亲友们印发彩色圣诞信了。原本我买的机票是12月8日回美。11月底我跟妈妈说：我下个月八日要离开，但明年还会回来的。妈妈马上回应说，她有感觉，明年回来不一定能够看到她的。如果可以申请（她以为是向政府申请），是否可以推迟一个月回去。因此，我退了机票，没有能够跟在美国的家人一起过圣诞了。

如照片所示，在美国的家人过了相当丰盛的圣诞。儿子们媳妇们也给了我们很大的圣诞礼物，包括一台价值上千美元的大炉台+大烤炉。

家乡这里没有圣诞气氛，但有象征圣诞的安详。厦门鹭客社的同仁推出推崇先父和家母的文章，得到不少人的关注。网络上的一篇1944年的圣诞故事更让很多人深深感动。那样的故事大概不可能发生在中国人群中，至少目前还不可能。想想49年以来曾经发生的灾难和折腾。想想志愿军战俘回国后的遭遇。想想家母因为先父的牺牲而得到的报答！ 什么时候，当人性、人文成为国人共识，中国就多了一份福分。

以此纪念这个特殊的，但有意义的圣诞。祝 各位新年快乐。

网页发布不久，就得知1944年圣诞夜故事链接的网页被人做了手脚，夹带不堪入目的私货（连忙改PDF文档作链接，希望没事了）。回国后遇到的这类事不少。例如，深更半夜，总有爆竹声、爆破声。例如，上网想上的上不了，不想看的却扑面而来。上街，到处是高分贝的广告录音，耳根不得清宁。

石码镇古早的东西正在一点点被蚕食掉。童年的小河小溪大部分已经被填没了。残留的也成了臭水沟。九龙江，原来的水可以喝，退潮时可以走到江中心取沙。现在已经都没有了。龙海一中现在有了新校区，在那遥远的地方。老校区还在，但前门的小河和后门的小溪，已经成为故事。

原来我读小学的西湖，现在改名实验小学的，许多建筑物拔地而起，但不少龙眼树已经消失。而且，他们也有了新校区，在几里外的榜山。昨天，林校长还来拜访我们这户与他们比邻的默默无闻的老烈属（见照片）。实小对面的三人宽的小巷，本来直抵我们位于浸水埕的家，三分钟的路。前几年这路被堵死。从我们家四楼拍下去（见照片），还可以看到这条窄巷子。它可是我求学与人生的起点呢。如今，浸水埕靠西的那一片已经列入拆迁。发展是好事情，只希望尽量保护环境，保护老历史，包括老街和老街名。

昨天，两位当年的中学生来看我（照片）。当年，我曾经在龙海一中当过他们的英语老师。近四十年了，多亏他们还记得我。尊师爱生可是中华文化的古老的传统。古早的东西，古老的传统，有许多是值得保存，值得怀念呢。