What a picture: Christmas scenes from Shanghai

Christmas is in the air and buildings are decked out in all their green and red glory to celebrate. Although this particular holiday season is a Western import, major venues from malls to restaurants to temples are getting into the holiday spirit. And in true Shanghai style, if you're going to celebrate, celebrate right with all the Christmas trimmings (and lights) you can think of.

Where are some of the best decorations? We sent an intrepid camera man to hunt them down for you.

Christkindlemarkt at Paulaner (Fenyang Lu)

Get just about everything you could want at this traditional Christmas market that took place early in December. The third annual Christkindlemarkt offered delicious treats for immediate consumption as well as all things Christmas: tableware, ornaments, cards and freshly cut Christmas trees. Now where were those Santa earmuffs? 

 

 

Nanjing Lu

Where the West has Christmas fairies, Shanghai has colorful Tinkerbells adoring the trees of the city's most famous thoroughfare. Although not quite traditional, these lovey ladies get the Christmas spirit across pretty well. Maybe this is just another way to celebrate Disney's recently approved theme park? If that's so, we'd like to see a Peter Pan around as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plaza 66

Further down on Nanjing (Xi) Lu is the famous Plaza 66. Known to house just about every luxury brand under the sun, if Christmas is going to get the royal treatment anywhere, it's going to be here. Plaza 66's decorator clearly has the Midas touch arranging for "gold" trees, a gold coin (hidden behind the large flower growing out of it) and one large gold Christmas tree. Don't ask us why there's a flower growing out of the coin, but we do love the contrasting background in this photo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jing'an Temple

Jing'an Temple might be home to the city's most famous Buddhist temple, but it's also home to a mall and a walking street that just wouldn't miss an opportunity to deck the halls, stairs and walls. With seven well lit Christmas trees they're off to a good start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shanghai Times Square

Channeling a more "European Christmas" feel, Shanghai Times Square is decked out from top to bottom offering shoppers and general Christmas decoration gawkers trees from 10 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland and Portugal) to admire. Throw in an upside down Christmas tree and Chinese youth choir from the YK Pao School in Santa hats and we're sold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yu Yuan/Old Town

The classic old Shanghai locale is Yu Yuan. From venues that serve the best xiaolongbao around to the classic grounds of Yu Gardens and vendors selling just about everything, no trip to Shanghai is complete without exploring the chaos there. Turning over stock with the season, local vendors sell everything you could imagine to go with Christmas -- often with a Shanghai take -- and with much less to-do than the more formal Christmas markets. If you can stand the madness, it's worth a trip.