Merry Christmas, Thai style!
This is the first Christmas we’ve been away from home, which means it is also the first Christmas we’ve spent in a warm place. Forecast for Chiang Mai for Christmas Day: 86 and sunny. Forecast for Pittsburgh: 29 and snow showers.
Christmas is the one day where we’d rather be in the cold. This year, there’s no Christmas cookies; no decorating the tree; no family get-togethers; no 24 hours of The Christmas Story; and no presents for Fabulous on Christmas morning. Every year, I start the holiday season off by playing my favorite Christmas album, A Very Special Christmas. It is missing from our ITunes collection and I can’t find it on the internet. It’s just not the holidays without the Pointer Sisters pointing out, Whoa! Here we go! Another year gone by!
Yet, this holiday season has not been as different as we would have guessed. We saw Christmas decorations before Halloween. We went Christmas shopping and heard the same Christmas tunes, over and over. We saw lots of twinkling lights and there’s been Christmas trees in the lobbies of most of the places we’ve stayed in December. Santa even knew where to find us, even though we don’t have a chimney and didn’t put cookies and milk out for him and carrots out for Rudolph. Courtesy of Santa, we’re staying in some fancier digs tonight and tomorrow and may even treat ourselves to dinner at a real restaurant that isn’t on the side of the road. We plan to finally watch Bad Santa while lounging on our giant bed with multiple pillows (what luxury!) We even got to watch our first Steelers game of the season today – for the win, nonetheless. Thanks, Santa!
Santa climbing up MBK Center in Bangkok
Santa the Roaming Gnome roaming through the streets of Chiang Mai
New fancy digs...
...which we better not get used to because after we leave, we'll be spending 2 days crossing into Laos by boat. I hear it is BYOC (bring your own cushion).
Turns out that even though Thailand is 95% Buddhist, there are signs of Christmas everywhere. Even more so than the occasional Christians or the abundance of ex-pats, I’m guessing that Christmas is popular here because Thais love any type of celebration. Yep, Christmas in Thailand isn’t half bad, even though our thoughts will be in Pittsburgh. We wish everyone, wherever you are in the world, a very Merry Christmas. FedEx has your presents, so you’ll have to just enjoy scenes from the holidays in Thailand instead:
Thais posing in the middle of a giant snow globe in Bangkok; why, I don't know. I don't ask. I just capture.
Christmas tree in a Bangkok mall
Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok, where you could get a neon sign wishing folks Merry Christmas or with a man peeing. Your pick.
Chiang Mai ladies wish you a Merry Christmas.
Homemade ornaments at the Sunday Market in Chiang Mai
Presents. More specifically, presents, on a barge, on oil drums, randomly in the middle of the canal in Chiang Mai. Only in Southeast Asia.
Couldn't do the annual Christmas Eve photo in front of Sean's parents' tree, so one taken in the mirror of the lobby of where we stayed for the past three nights on the way out the door will have to do.
Merry Christmas Amy!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AMY AND SEAN! I hope you have a fun filled and wonderful Christmas. I wish I were somewhere warm and 86 degrees!
Miss you!
Merry Christmas, Amy!! Merry Christmas, Sean!! Even though you are on the other side of the world, you are in my heart ~ everything I do, I’m thinking of you both. I even shined a spotlight on the map of the world with the pushpins & put a big Christmas bow in your honor. The only Christmas gift I want from you is that you’re safe, healthy, and that you have fun for the remainder of your amazing journey. Miss you & love you both! ♥♥♥
Merry Christmas Amy and Sean. Glad Santa found you in Thailand and you were able to enjoy the Holiday in your fancy digs. Our thoughts have been with you also. The Christmas Eve partiers enjoyed reading your blog entry and wish you a Merry Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year. Love from all.
Merry Christmas, you guys! Glad you got to experience some sights and festivities of the season. It was nice Skyping with you yesterday, and I’m happy you had a good Xmas (even though you were forced to be in 86 degree weather…) Hope the boat trip isn’t too heinous. Miss you…the holiday traditions weren’t the same without you.