Earlier in the UK😄😄😄

I no longer have a Christmas tree.  I did put one up when my children were younger since we do celebrate the idea of gift giving.  The tree was not put up for any other reason than celebrating that idea, which included Christmas stockings and Santa Claus.  We are a Buddhist family so our tree and our celebration of the holiday had nothing to do with the Christian religious holiday.  It was more a celebration of the Winter Solstice and the end of the year.  Though we no longer put up a tree or hang stockings we still celebrate with gift giving and a nice dinner.  Everyone in the family still loves Santa even though he is getting old now - 78 - and moves a bit more slowly.

On 11/29/2025 at 6:52 PM, advancebooking said:

Why dont Thais understand Christmas. Putting up trees in November like that is normal or something. 

 

I had a go at the manager of my language school about this. She just smiled and laughed. 

 

Up on the 1st Dec. Down on the 27th is normal in my nanny state where I grew up. 

 

What is wrong with these people. 

Well, tradition says down after the Epiphany on January 6... Up the fourth Sunday before Christmas, this year on Sunday November 30...

58 minutes ago, brian69 said:

I see a few places have the 'Happy New year' sign up for years..

A Thai version of "Free beer tomorrow" ?

On 11/29/2025 at 6:52 PM, advancebooking said:

Why dont Thais understand Christmas. Putting up trees in November like that is normal or something. 

 

I had a go at the manager of my language school about this. She just smiled and laughed. 

 

Up on the 1st Dec. Down on the 27th is normal in my nanny state where I grew up. 

 

What is wrong with these people. 

Fyi, you are not in your nanny state!!!!

On 11/29/2025 at 6:52 PM, advancebooking said:

Why dont Thais understand Christmas. Putting up trees in November like that is normal or something. 

 

I had a go at the manager of my language school about this. She just smiled and laughed. 

 

Up on the 1st Dec. Down on the 27th is normal in my nanny state where I grew up. 

 

What is wrong with these people. 

Get a life

3 hours ago, brian69 said:

I see a few places have the 'Happy New year' sign up for years..

The Mekhong Royal hotel in Nong Khai has had THEIR Tree up in the hotel lobby for the past 15 Years Continuous At LEAST....The Never take it down.....

I'm surprised that so many Thai businesses put these trees up ? After all this is a Buddhist country and Christmas is a Christian tradition?

I can understand why the Thai retailers do so, to encourage the farrang to spend !

On 11/29/2025 at 6:52 PM, advancebooking said:

Why dont Thais understand Christmas. Putting up trees in November like that is normal or something. 

 

I had a go at the manager of my language school about this. She just smiled and laughed. 

 

Up on the 1st Dec. Down on the 27th is normal in my nanny state where I grew up. 

 

What is wrong with these people. 

Nothing wrong with them, you are the wrong one for making an issue that is not remotely lmportant. 

Why make trouble for others by "having a go" at someone because you don't understand Thai culture? 

On 11/29/2025 at 6:52 PM, advancebooking said:

Why dont Thais understand Christmas. Putting up trees in November like that is normal or something. 

 

I had a go at the manager of my language school about this. She just smiled and laughed. 

 

Up on the 1st Dec. Down on the 27th is normal in my nanny state where I grew up. 

 

What is wrong with these people. 

      Certainly not normal in the US to take the tree down Dec. 27th--never heard of that.  Most leave the tree up at least thru New Years so the homes will still have holiday decorations for New Years parties and get-togethers.  As for businesses starting to decorate early, in the US before I left some businesses were starting to decorate before Halloween and certainly lots had their decorations up sometime in November, so nothing unusual there, either.   I do take notice, though, of some Thai businesses leaving their trees up year-round.  

Who cares

Thailand is, by centuries-old tradition, a Buddhist country, and its inhabitants cannot be expected to have acquired the deep and indefinable feeling that once accompanied this festival in Europe, where it originated in the pre-Christian era.

 

Going back nearly a quarter century, in the 'neck-of-the-woods' where I still find myself, there was nothing to mark Christmas Day.  In lieu of sending Christmas cards (a habit long since abandoned) I had to buy postcards.

 

Nowadays, wherever you are in the world, Christmas has become a commercial festival promoted by merchants, in furtherance of their sales.  One aspect of which is that one is subjected to jingos evoking none of the feeling of traditional Christmas carols.

 

I did several years ago discover the means to encourage the removal of Christmas decorations.  When in a courier-service shop I remarked that in Britain the decorations were always taken down before Twelfth Night, as failure to do so brought bad luck.  They forthwith removed them.

 

6 hours ago, brian69 said:

I see a few places have the 'Happy New year' sign up for years..

Here's to a Happy & Prosperous New Year:

 

      NEW YEAR’S EVE

 

The end of the year fell chilly
        Between a moon and a moon;
Thorough the twilight shrilly
        The bells rang, ringing no tune.

 

The windows stained with story,
        The walls with miracle scored,
Were hidden for gloom and glory
        Filling the house of the Lord.

 

Arch and aisle and rafter
        And roof-tree dizzily high
Were full of weeping and laughter
        And song and saying good-bye.

 

There stood in the holy places
        A multitude none could name,
Ranks of dreadful faces
        Flaming, transfigured in flame.

 

Crown and tiar and mitre
        Were starry with gold and gem;
Christmas never was whiter
        Than fear on the face of them.

 

In aisles that emperors vaulted
        For a faith the world confessed,
Abasing the Host exalted,
        They worshipped towards the west.

 

They brought with laughter oblation;
        They prayed, not bowing the head;
They made without tear lamentation,
        And rendered me answer and said:

 

"0 thou that seest our sorrow,
        It fares with us even thus:
To-day we are gods, to-morrow
        Hell have mercy on us.

 

"Lo, morning over our border
        From out of the west comes cold;
Down ruins the ancient order
        And empire builded of old.

 

"Our house at even is queenly
        With psalm and censers alight:
Look thou never so keenly
        Thou shalt not find us to-night.

 

"We are come to the end appointed
        With sands not many to run:
Divinities disanointed
        And kings whose kingdom is done.

 

"The peoples knelt down at our portal,
        All kindreds under the sky;
We were gods and implored and immortal
        Once; and to-day we die."

 

They turned them again to their praying,
        They worshipped and took no rest
Singing old tunes and saying
        "We have seen his star in the west,"

 

Old tunes of the sacred psalters,
        Set to wild farewells;
And I left them there at their altars
        Ringing their own dead knells.

 

                [A.E.Housman]

2 hours ago, newnative said:

      Certainly not normal in the US to take the tree down Dec. 27th--never heard of that.  Most leave the tree up at least thru New Years so the homes will still have holiday decorations for New Years parties and get-togethers.  As for businesses starting to decorate early, in the US before I left some businesses were starting to decorate before Halloween and certainly lots had their decorations up sometime in November, so nothing unusual there, either.   I do take notice, though, of some Thai businesses leaving their trees up year-round.  

12 days of Christmas?

On 11/29/2025 at 6:52 PM, advancebooking said:

Why dont Thais understand Christmas. Putting up trees in November like that is normal or something. 

 

I had a go at the manager of my language school about this. She just smiled and laughed. 

 

Up on the 1st Dec. Down on the 27th is normal in my nanny state where I grew up. 

 

What is wrong with these people. 

Is it any different in the west.

Supermarket's start displaying xmass goods in October or selling Easter Eggs on the second of January

23 minutes ago, Expat68 said:

12 days of Christmas?

     Ha!  Not in America.  More like two months.  If I remember correctly, years ago there was a radio station in my area that switched to just playing Christmas music non-stop, I believe beginning sometime in November.  

so they do in lots of citys in uk,whats wrong with it