Michael Wester

It’s around this time of year that thoughts of Christmas begin to invade my head, and I’m looking at this Saturday (December 1) as the unofficial start of the holiday season in Beijing. There’s a confluence of events around town that day that’ll keep you and the kids merry from morning to night.

Start off at 10am by visiting the Rotary Club's Christmas Bazaar at the Hilton Hotel where there will be 30 to 40 tables of vendors selling their wares – a perfect place to shop for holiday gifts.

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When my wife and I were expecting our first child, we were the typical nervous parents-to-be. Since we both lived far away from our families, and a good many of our friends had not yet had a child, we were relatively on our own in terms of support, and there were many a moment where we found ourselves asking, “is this normal? Should this be happening?” Here’s just a few of the resources we found particularly helpful:

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What is it that makes a Beijing restaurant “family-friendly”? It’s just this that we began pondering while discussing our special January 2008 tbjkids supplement on the best of family-friendly dining in Beijing.

Is it changing tables, highchairs and play areas, or is it plastic tableware, kids' menus and an on-site babysitter?

And do things like prices, parking, and diaper-changing stations matter?

It comes down to part individual preference, part necessity. But this much is true: those with kids know a family-friendly spot when the see it.

In the hopes of capturing the collective wisdom of the Beijing expat community, we’ve set up a short questionnaire that asks you to rank what qualities are key for you when selecting a family-friendly restaurant. We’ve also asked you to toss in a few recommendations of your own for family-friendly spots around town.

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It was a full house last Saturday as the Workers Stadium branch of The Kro's Nest played host to the tbjkids Create Your Own Pizza party. Families with kids ranging in age from infants to teenagers each took a hack at making the perfect combo … a tasty time was had by all.

First Prize for not only tastiness but visual appeal went to the Dimsa family, with their "Our House" combo.

Looks almost too good to eat! For their pie-making efforts the Dimsas were rewarded with a voucher for 5 free pizzas at the Kro's Nest -- to enjoy perhaps at times when the Kro is not quite so crowded!

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