Christmas is coming and I can’t wait. We’re heading home to celebrate with our families for the first time in three years so all the kitsch, rubbishy stuff that everyone gets sick of we are very excited by. Yes, including Wham!
It appears we’re not the only ones to be excited by Christmas. Thailand has gone Christmas crazy every year we’ve been here and this year is no exception. Every where you go there are huge billboards with snowy scenes, red-breasted robins and Father Christmas.
Which is funny, because people in Thailand have no idea what those things are.
Thai people assume that snow is like some kind of soft, fluffy foam that is marshmallowy sweet. They don’t realise that snow on unprotected skin is like little iron daggers falling from the sky.
In fact, to most Thai people (certainly in Bangkok) the cold is utterly unknown. I posted this anecdote as a comment on Old England To New England:
One of my friend’s wives used to be an airline stewardess for a small Thai carrier and told me this story. The airline had recently opened a route to Seoul for the winter trade and were taking on new staff. One of the new staff had never left Thailand.
Upon arriving in Seoul, the new staff member stepped out of the plane and saw her breath for the first time in her life.
She freaked out, genuinely thinking her soul was escaping.
My maid thinks anything below 20C requires the same level of clothing as polar explorers. It therefore seems strange to have stereotypical winter scenes, complete with snowflakes, as advertising for beach wear.
In an attempt to generate a corner of holiday cheer in the tropics, we will be turning the AC low, donning Santa hats and putting on ‘Now! That’s What I Call Christmas’ album as we install all the sparkly Christmas tat we own around the house.
Incongruous? Yes. Needed? Nope. Fun? Absolutely!
All together now…
Last Christmas, I gave you my heart…
tastehitch 
What do you mean “including Wham!”? Don’t you mean, “including Wham!”? Hellooooo!
Yeah, I’d say over the years Thailand has definitely gotten more Christmassy. It seems natural, in a consumer kind of way, but it is weird. Just wait until the kids start talking about what they got for Christmas this year!
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At our school it’ll be ‘an actual helicopter’ or ‘a new maid’.
Spoilt little gits…
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It must be hard getting in the Christmas spirit in the tropics, I like the idea of turning the AC way down. Enjoy your trip home, I’m also going home for a week for some proper beer and family time! P.S thanks for linking to my blog 🙂
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No worries, it’s a good blog to link to. Luckily the local supermarket is stocking Tribute ale from Cornwall – having said that, the Pinhoe Sainsburys is still going to get cleaned out when I’m back in Exeter.
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Leave some for me, I didn’t realise you were also an Exetonian!
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I’m not but the wife is and we’re with her folks this Christmas.
I have to say I’m rather looking forward to it.
Cheers mate.
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My friend Neal and his co-host have banned that Wham! song from their radio show in the UK 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/jackfmberkshire/photos/a.630215897045438.1073741829.608065299260498/777119489021744/?type=1&theater
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Brilliant – I love the threat of disciplinary action. Imagine that being on your CV.
“I see you left your last position because of a row over Wham! Would you like to elaborate?”
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Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!
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What up buddy?
Awesome little post; we are also going “home to Canada” to the sub zero crazy arctic snow and ice for our last cold holiday season during the last two weeks of the year. Now that I’m finally unemployed I can take off the entire end of the month without the assholes telling me I need to come back for “year end processing:”.
Sadly it’s looking more and more like we may wind up in Thailand based on stuff y agent just told us; they are not backing down form their stupid new rules that require US banks to send a “verification letter” which basciaccly violates all our privacy rules. So we may come calling on you for help; hope that’s OK !! We’re trying to line up our favorite Thailand contacts just in case and you are certainly up there !!
Enjoy the cold
Rob and Diane
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Miss the cold so much. England will most likely be cool over Xmas. Doesn’t usually snow. Might rain though.
Shame you can’t get to where you wanted mate. Hope there’s a last minute reversal. Happy to help any way I can.
You’re only saying that because I showed you how to watch ice hockey… 😀
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The story of the stewardess is too funny! I completely understand, since I’m from the tropics and now live in one of the coldest cities in the world. I really can’t explain to people back in my island what -20C is: I just tell them to sleep in a freezer and they’ll begin to get the idea.
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You’re right, it is hard to explain to people what it is like to live in a climate so utterly different from the one they are used to.
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