Having a happy thai Christmas

[seajae]

My wife asked me what westerners do for christmas and why it is so special to us. I explained that it is special due to the kids, it is really a time for them to enjoy and that watching them enjoy it gives adults a great deal of pleasure. I know I loved having them wake me at first light( ) to see what santa had brought them, just looking at the smiles on their faces as they opened them was worth everything you did(except maybe having to drink some of the milk, bite the cookie and chew a bit of carrot while putting out the presents).

Actually one thing I really enjoyed was having christmas pudding, would wait all year for it with brandied custard and double cream. Here it is a bit more difficult, I would roast a leg of pork(boned and rolled) in Australia but finding a decent leg of pork here is not easy to get so I ended up buying a leg of lamb, looks like a trip to Tops for some mint sauce(or I will make my own), they also sell puddings but I doubt I will get the brandied custard and double cream. To thais it is probably over the top but my wife wants us to do all the customary things this year so I will have to find a tree to and buy presents to put under it.

How about all of you guys & gals, do you still celebrate chrissy here and do what you did back home or have you let it slide.

Edited December 5, 2013 by seajae

[khunPer]

Having a kid here, of course we celebrate Xmas, and Thais loves any occasion for celebration and party. So we have Xmas tree, lights, gifts and traditional Scandinavian Xmas dinner, which has become a real hit among our Thai friends who joins our little party. The Nordic Xmas traditions are slightly different from British (and American), the evening of the 24th being the party with dinner, songs, dance around the tree and gifts – Santa comes from as you know from somewhere close to the North Pole, being Denmark (Greenland) or Finland, so he drops the gifts early just around dinnertime in the Nordic countries, otherwise he cannot manage the sleigh ride around the rest of the World in one night only, being why American and British kids have to wait until the 25th in the morning. Santa is a big issue for small kids, so we also enjoy some good Xmas cartoons or animations about him – and as they are funny, that Thais can laugh and therefore also enjoys Santa. Actually did consider drawing a chimney for Santa when I designed my house – my little daughter were convinced we needed one – but we realized that Santa could deliver the gifts anyway and we do not really have a huge demand for an open fireplace living here down South; up cold North at Isaan I may opt for a fireplace and chimney for winter time.

Xmas is hard to forget here, as the shopping malls are full of Xmas decoration and music, so we enjoy it – and so do our Thai neighbours, also having trees and lights and gifts for the children.

Back home I did not care much about Xmas, as I did not have a child before I moved to Thailand – but of course often have been celebrating cosy traditional Xmas with family.

[LeeTheCelt]

OK, I agree it is about tradition, presents etc, but this was & in many countries still is, a celebration of the birth of Christ.

Now I'm not going into a rant about religion, My wife's Buddhist & good luck to her, if that's what she believes in, but the whole idea about Christmas was to celebrate the birth of a Jewish child.

We as a family go to midnight mass & without doing so, it never ever feels like Christmas.

As for food, we are having Thai 555 & why not !

[wileycoyote]

Yes

[SICHONSTEVE]

Yes

Our kids, all 300 of them love christmas and we put on a special day for them with presents, games. santa waiting for them in the morning at the gates (treating them with sweets) and they have ice-cream and help to put up decorations as well as dressing up in santa hats etc:!!

Edited December 5, 2013 by SICHONSTEVE

[Suradit69]

OK, I agree it is about tradition, presents etc, but this was & in many countries still is, a celebration of the birth of Christ.

Now I'm not going into a rant about religion, My wife's Buddhist & good luck to her, if that's what she believes in, but the whole idea about Christmas was to celebrate the birth of a Jewish child.

We as a family go to midnight mass & without doing so, it never ever feels like Christmas.

As for food, we are having Thai 555 & why not !

Yes, I go to mass in Thailand to celebrate the Nativity.

I don't try to impress anyone with expensive gifts they probably could do without. Haven't for 50 years, even before I came to Thailand. And don't want anyone to buy things for me, either. Not a matter of bah, humbug. Just don't seen the point of going overboard every December as opposed to the other 11 months.

I explained that it is special due to the kids, it is really a time for them to enjoy and that watching them enjoy it gives adults a great deal of pleasure

Well I suppose a lot of people get a kick out of giving children things that they've been demanding for months and which they will break and discard in short order, and I guess that's what the retailers tell them is the only way to prove you love them, but its connection to Christmas is rather tenuous. I'm sure it helps to make Walmart and Tiffany's, and a lot of businesses in between, quite jolly.

Edited December 5, 2013 by Suradit69

[uty6543]

No. I loved Christmas as a child but as the years went on and it became more and more a commercial event instead of a tradition I grew to dislike it more with every passing year. The wife and I will have Christmas dinner but no decorations just a special meal and thoughts of family back home.

[Frank James]

Christmas as it is observed in the Western world is of no interest to me. I'm glad it is not emphasized here. However, I notice every year here there is more mention of it, more ads and hype. Goes along with all of these malls coming on line.

No offense to those who love it, and Merry Christmas to you.

[godden]

tree's up already with xmas crackers, turkey the works, just me and the wife, working on having a chimney for santa, merry xmas every body.

[lifeincnx]

Though we are not into the commercial side of it, my wife (Thai-American) and I celebrated Christmas in the states so why spoil a good thing? The tree and wreath are up with decorations gathered over the years, and there's even a few lights over the bar.

Merry Christmas one and all (and I'm not religious).

[FiftyTwo]

@OP

So you totally forgot it was to celebrate the birth of the son of God.

[ktm jeff]

Now-a-days Christmas has very little religious meaning. Just commercial greed and overspending. Fireworks night (and Halloween) are becoming more and more popular in England. Not forgetting New-Year of course.

[NoshowJones]

No, I never celebrated Christmas since I was a kid, it is far too commercialised now. It is all about money now. Look at all those people back home queueing up at the ATMs to buy presents, then spend the whole year paying it back. Just like mothers day and fathers day, making the rich richer.

[uptheos]

Christmas is great, there's no other time of the year that brings back so many memories both good and not so good.

[canuckamuck]

I resist it every year, but every year I lose a little ground. This year there will be a tree and some decorations.

I am assuming my son will have it all destroyed within an hour.

[buck99]

One of the best things about living in Thailand is not having to endure Christmas being shoved down my throat by the advertising media. The phony "happiness and good cheer" showing on every television in the USA is anything but real happiness. People spend themselves into debt to trying to find the happiness promised in the advertisements. Studies find people are most depressed during the Christmas holidays due to the stress and disappointment of unrealized happiness in their lives.

When there are young children in the home Christmas is fun activity as is Halloween and Easter. But as an adult Christmas is a holiday I would rather not celebrate.

[Saradoc1972]

Haven't made it over to Thailand for Christmas yet, but I don't think I'd be doing the usual drill with decorations and gifts unless there were some children round. Sort of faded out back home for lack of family I'd like to be with. For kids its great and I suppose it then would be for me and I'd apply myself that way.

Otherwise in LOS I'd kind of rise to the occasion with a special dinner out, I can well imagine some carvery at a British pub and a little knees up. Made our tradition German goose on occasion and liked it, but I suppose I wouldn't miss it.

Christmas puddings never caught on with me, and mind you I do like British cuisine and have actually survived with it for a year.

What I'd actually miss would be singing in a choir, don't know if there are any round in Pattaya.

Edited December 5, 2013 by Saradoc1972

[Dario]

Yes, we celebrate Christmas with a tree. Look at our daughter's happy smile ...

[Ulic]

Christmas is for kids, so while I have not I will skype my family back home.

[gerry123]

Christmas as it is observed in the Western world is of no interest to me. I'm glad it is not emphasized here. However, I notice every year here there is more mention of it, more ads and hype. Goes along with all of these malls coming on line.

No offense to those who love it, and Merry Christmas to you.

yes to that local TESCOS IS TRYING VERY HARD TO westernize my local town with all there shiny stuff +tempting credit cards without any clear info about % rates if you mismanage your account very free lunch situation

[krisb]

• Brandy cream recipe.
• 284ml carton double cream
• 1/2 tub mascapone
• 1 tbsp whisky...(or 5 like Dad always did)
• 2 tsp icing sugar

• 1. Whip cream & icing sugar together in a bowl until soft peaks form.
  2. Then quickly fold in the brandy.
  3. Gently fold in mascapone.
  4. Serve alongside a dessert of your choice.
  5. 

[sustento]

Tell your Thai friends it's a bit like Vesak for Jesus Christ rather than Buddha.

[Tywais]

Actually my wife started the Christmas idea in our home after we got married. She thought it was important to me so it was important to her.

This is one of our Christmas dinners. I usually do a pork loin roast which goes over very well and also some wine which also goes over well. Ok, don't laugh about the wine, wasn't that bad.

[krisb]

Where to find mascapone in BKK?

Maybe these guys can point you in the right direction in case your local supermarket can't.

Biscotti

Italian Restaurant

155 Ratchadamri Rd. (at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok, Lobby Level), Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330 ➔

+66 2 126 8866

@fsbangkok

fourseasons.com/bangkok

+66 2 126 8866

[mickjn]

Yes, we celebrate Christmas with a tree. Look at our daughter's happy smile ...

SAM_2077z.jpg

Great photo

[mickjn]

[dotpoom]

If I was asked (and I have been) by a Thai person why Christmas was special to foreigners....I would say it is because it is CHRIST'S BIRTHDAY. I would further explain that the 25th of December is the accepted date of the birth of Christ (the son of God) on this earth by his followers... who call themselves "Christians"....like followers of the Buda ....call themselves ...Buddists".

If a foreigner asked a Thai person today why everybody was so happy..............would the answer be because we give presents to the Monks....and not mention the fact that today is the King's birthday, the reason for the happiness and present giving.

What a pathetic answer when asked such a question to say it is because children are happy on that day and adults enjoy looking at them being happy and we give presents without, .........explaining the meaning of Christmas and how it came about

Sure all those things with the kids are fantastic but it would have been more correct to have explained why it is done at this particular time of year and why it is a time of celebration and presents.

Of course many people these days do not have these beliefs but the above would have been the correct answer......those who do not believe in this are simply carrying on the tradition....but it wasn't a tradition 2000 years ago.

[mickjn]

Actually my wife started the Christmas idea in our home after we got married. She thought it was important to me so it was important to her.

This is one of our Christmas dinners. I usually do a pork loin roast which goes over very well and also some wine which also goes over well. Ok, don't laugh about the wine, wasn't that bad.

Nice

[weegee]

Waiting for the rain to stop...then up goes the tree and decorations. Special guests arriving this year, so it will be good to be in the spirit of things, in good company. Hope it turns out like that for all............

As tywais said, his wife thought it was important, and so did mine, which we have done every year, except one....

[Muhendis]

Actually my wife started the Christmas idea in our home after we got married. She thought it was important to me so it was important to her.

This is one of our Christmas dinners. I usually do a pork loin roast which goes over very well and also some wine which also goes over well. Ok, don't laugh about the wine, wasn't that bad.

Wow! What a spread. Chips too! Just a thought but try some cider with the pork.