Christmas in Thailand

Christmas in Thailand

I'll shamelessly admit it. I'm one of those people that loves a cheesy Christmas. When I was a kid, I wouldn't sleep at all on Christmas Eve. My parents would leave a stocking and "The Beano Annual" outside my door, as soon as they turned in, I'd grab it, read it, and then bug my parents every ten minutes from 5am onwards until they agreed to start opening presents.

It won't be long before I play the dad's role in that commotion I guess, but the last few years have not felt like Christmas at all. Thailand is of course, a Buddhist country but like most of the world they have jumped on the idea of shop sales and an excuse to dress up. It's just not the same though. Christmas day is another working day, the temperatures are high and there is no spirit.

This year things have been different. My new school attempts to teach students the cultures of Buddhist and Christian religions. As such, last Friday was Christmas party - complete with a Santa and hundreds of excited kids - as the pupils were dismissed for ten days holiday. Even more amazingly, the temperatures have dropped. Yes it's true, Bangkok has been almost as cold as London in the mornings at least. It's all added up to a bit of a Christmas feel.

My new years resolution - I'm one of the few that sometimes keeps them, I even gave up smoking one year - is to get my finances in order. Tough but doable.

So whoever you are, wherever you are, happy Christmas. May 2007 be a year of less deaths in the name of religion.