What is Christmas day like in Pattaya . is the bars and Resturants opened like they are every other day of the year or is it a family day like here in the UK. having never been to Thailand I am interested to know what it is like in other country's on Christmas day and New Year's day

Christmas day is a normal business day in Thailand, and the new year holidays are new years eve 31 Dec, and January 01.

Yes as Dr said it is a normal day here in LOS. But there is a chance tolive it up a little as just about all the shopping cent4res will have Xmas decorations up...see Emporium.....along with sicko Xmas carols haha. But the thingto do is to check out som eof the big hotels for Xmas buffet lunch or Xmas eve dinner. The buffets arte great usually and you can find some bargains. You canfind deals starting at around 500 baht at a guess......up to 1500 baht or even more at big 5 star jobs. I have had one Xmas buffet for 600 baht in Bangkok which was great......and I have had 1400 baht Xmas buffet at a hotel on the river inBangkok and it was great too but not a lot different. Basically if you are sea front at Pattaya it will be more expensive or if yo uare onthe river in Bangkok same. Up around Sukumvit yo uwill be able to get a better deal. The 600 baht lunch was on Sukumvit and we had the place to ourselves. Wont name the hotels because you can just walk in off the street wherever and ask how much. Go inaround 11.30 and just hang there eating and having a couple of beers. But if you ddrink a lot ...save it for a cheap bar somewhere. Happy glutony ! (spelling)

Neat ideas there Ned. The bloody carols go on until about the end of January too. The stores do Christmas decorations so well here. Leave the stores well behind in the so called Christian countries.

Although Christmas is not an official holiday many private schools will be on a half-day schedule and there will be a number of afternoon Christmas parties/present exchanges taking place (and this is among the non-Christian Thai). But the New Year brings the bulk of the parties and year-end bonus/envelops. This year the holiday will be January 1 and 2 to provide a long weekend; instead of the normal December 31 and January 1.