HEADLINE FROM TODAY’S SHANGHAI DAILY

Pollution for city’s Christmas                    By Ke Jiayun |                                        December 25, 2013, Wednesday

Blanketed in smog, the city saw a sunny but cold Christmas Eve with morning temperatures dropping to zero or below in some districts and later increasing to single figures, forecasters said.

The air was moderately polluted in the evening along with a rising concentration of particles. The density of main pollutant PM2.5 reached 182.6 micrograms per cubic meter, or more than double the nation’s limit of 75.

COUGH, COUGH, BURNING EYES & THROAT…ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS SOME CLEAN AIR!!!

At least I’ll look cute while I inhale the 182.6 micrograms per cubic meter of crap that is in the air today.  Instead of a White Christmas, it was more like a Grey Christmas with the sun obscured by the particulate matter as we drove out to the lovely water town on the outskirts of Shanghai.

Thanks goodness Santa brought me my new air mask!  It’s not exactly the latest technology but it is fashion forward and “pops” with a bright geometric pattern.  I might as well try to look decent on the outside because the inside of my lungs can’t be looking pretty after a day like today.

This Christmas, instead of hanging by a warm and cozy fire, we’re lucky enough to have a jumbo Blue Air Cleaner to cuddle up to and Elvis Presley’s classic song, “Blue Christmas”, just took on a whole new meaning for me.  Some day, God willing, we will once again be blessed to experience a White Christmas with Blue Skies.  I just don’t expect it will be in China.