Christmas in Singapore

This was my first Christmas ever away from home. I "had a moment" on December 23rd, realizing that I really wasn't going to see any family, and there weren't going to be any spritz cookies or watching my nephew dig through his stocking for the latest Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Even though Singapore is decorated within an inch of it's palm trees, it still didn't feel like Christmas. It didn't help that it was supposed to snow a foot or so back home in Minnesota, I would have rather gotten stuck in the driveway trying to make it to my cousin's house than heating up left-over Thai food in the microwave because it's too hot to cook anything. Seriously. Don't hate me because wearing flip-flops on December 25th isn't consolation enough for me.

Our one Christmas-y thing in the house which was a great help, was this great little tree that my mom sent us:

On Christmas Eve we took Millie for a walk to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, where there were a few dozen Christmas trees on display, decorated by schools, businesses, embassies, etc.

Here's my favorite, from the Austrailian embassy. Here's what the poem says, and I think that it pretty much applies to Singapore, too.

Christmas in Australia is different to what you know,

We don't see any reindeer and for sure, there is no snow.

No steaming Christmas pudding, or eggnog by the fire,

Too much of that there hot stuff, makes us all perspire.

The sun is brightly shining, the sky is blue and bright,

The waves are breaking on the beach, the tide is just in right.

I've got my great new surfboard, the barbie's on the beach,

The chops are cooking nicely, the snogs are lined up neat.

The temp is on the 40's, the sand is fine and white.

There's coldies in the esky, all had turned out right.

Who needs the snow and iced up roads, Santa and his sleigh,

We'll have a red-hot Christmas, that's the Aussie way.

Christmas day was chill - we took Millie for a long walk, and then took in dinner and a movie (The Christmas Cottage) with a couple of friends at a place called The Screening Room - a sort of bar/restaurant with a room with a huge screen and lots of couches. No spritz cookies, though. Maybe next year.

P.S. I got a fun Christmas present from David... a mountain bike!