Personally, I generally come down on the loves, loves, loves side. But as I get older (insert sound of creaking bones) I am finding it harder to snare that elusive Christmas spirit and find it gets closer and closer to actual Christmas time until I start to *feel* the Christmas.
This year I'm surprising myself by already beginning to come over all Christmassy. A friend recently posted her Christmas cake preparations on Facebook -- and the photo of glossy dried fruit soaking in a bath of scented alcohol was enough to make me breathe in deep and begin preparing my shopping list for Christmas baking. I also headed out and bought a couple of expensive food magazines so I could begin to drool and plan the family Christmas meal.
I'm in Singapore right now and I think that's definitely helping, because apart from some places in Eastern Europe in winter, I've never seen a city so totally embrace the celebration. Singapore is Christmas on steroids! Take a look at some of the fantastic pics I've snapped over the past couple of days. Unfortunately the camera can't really do justice to the spectacular scene that it is!
I cant' wait to get home and put up my Christmas tree. It's not too soon, is it?
Claps hands in Christmas Glee :-D How wonderful for you, they look beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely not too early to put up the tree! I'm dying to get all the decorations up.
ReplyDeleteIt's quite amazing and having done some Christmas shopping here too, now I'm really in the mood! Glad you don't think it's too early to put up the dec's JJ, I think that will be a job for me to look forward to when I get home!
ReplyDeleteEmmie, I have been following your adventures in Singapore with a fond smile.
ReplyDeleteI lived in Singapore for 3 years and the annual Christmas decorations were a delight. My choir used to put on a Christmas concert in the old chapel at Chijmes complete with mulled wine and mince pies. Singing with the smell of cinnamon in your nostrils made one feel very Christmassy.
One of my fondest memories is the year when Ramadan ended about the same time as Christmas and the Muslim ladies were shopping for Hari Raya Puasa decorations among the Christmas stores. That was true multiculturalism.
My favourite Christmas decorations were generally at Tanglin Mall. One year they decided to create a winter woodland scene outside among the palm trees, sticking up strange amorphous white tree shapes (sans foliage) and providing fake snow (to which several children developed an allergic reaction). The sight of the white branches of the woodland trees amidst the bright palm trees caused my cynical teenage sons to nickname it "The Nucleur Winter".
What fantastic memories, Alison! I have also encountered a few decorations that have made me go 'Huh?' more than 'Nice', but overall the effect is gorgeous! I've been to Chijmes before and I know the church you mean. I wonder if they'll be doing a Christmas menu there already? Last night we explored a hawkers market down by the marina that I hadn't been to before -- the food was awesome!
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