When kids in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) woke up Saturday morning, to their great delight, they again got their favorite gifts from the long stockings hung on Christmas trees, just as that before the handover.

Barely concluding their gala for Macao's long-anticipated return to the motherland, Macanese embraced one of their most important traditional festivals, Christmas, with just the same enthusiasm as before.

Over the past few days, tapes of Christmas carols have been played in department stores, small shops and hotels, prompting people to buy more than they could image in advance.

City lights in the tourist Mecca became even more dazzling with Christmas decorations.

The Christmas eve carnival lasted till the small hours of Christmas morning. Starting from dust, merry-makers and religious adherents had been plying the streets from the square in front of the downtown municipal council to the S. Domingo Church, from the ruins of the St. Paul Church to the Cathedral Hill, making almost every nearby street bustling with people and activity.

While adoring colorful lights, many churchgoers wore Santa Claus hats they had just bought from street vendors. Shop owners slashed their price down to record lows to lure customers for last- minute deals.

At the square in front of the municipal council, hundreds were standing to enjoy the Christmas concert. Most of the time the gate to the St. Domingo Church was closed to allow a certain number of churchgoers for service in rotation.

In front of the ruins of the St. Paul Church, more than one hundred people in white were singing Christmas carols, while thousands were sitting on the escalating steps leading to the remaining front gate of the old church, a landmark of Macao.

Listeners all seemed quiet and intent, gazing into the distance.

A young man sat by quietly, watching his girl friend in the singing group. He said Catholicism has an influential presence in Macao. In addition, many people used to study in Catholic schools.

Toward midnight, the Great Catholic Church was brightly lit and packed with some 1,000 people, many having to stand at the door. The believers included Chinese, Macao-born Portuguese and foreigners.

Following the mid-night sound of the church bell, the bishop began to deliver prayers in both Portuguese and Cantonese amid a majestic atmosphere.

Nearby, the Casino Lisboa, the largest gambling house in Macao, remained busting on the Christmas eve. Arrays of slot machines gave clangourous sounds, and people gathered around gambling tables in fine order.

Deep into the night, more than 20 people dressed in choir costume had photos taken outside the barracks of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops stationed in the Macao SAR.

Braving chilly wind, two soldiers stood still inside the barracks. About 500 PLA officers and men marched into Macao on December 20. "I just want to say marry Christmas to the soldiers," a choir girl said excitedly.

A young man studying in the University of Macao also expressed a similar feeling of excitement. "Although it is colder tonight than the Christmas eve last year, we all feel much happier, for we are reunited with the motherland."

Immersed in the festive environment brought about by Santa Claus on the Christmas day, many Macao residents went to visit the PLA barracks, the site for Macao's power handover ceremony, and the large bronze lotus sent to the Macao SAR government by the central government.