It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

December 04, 2019

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Like any person who returned home from a vacation abroad, I was filled with bittersweet emotions; missing life as I knew it as well as dread at having to go back to life as I knew it. Confusing, I know. However, I do admit that the latter tugged a little more at my heartstrings. As if travelling to two different countries and catching flights so frequently that they felt like taxis weren't enough, the experience of new food, infrastructure, fresh air and culture in the middle of November was overwhelmingly magnificent. I stress on the month especially because that's what truly sealed the deal for me. For someone who religiously celebrates Christmas and everything it stands for, it's overwhelming to see streets, boulevards and malls decked to the halls with trees, wreaths and streamers in the month preceding December.

I almost broke into tears of joy when I walked into a completely decorated Marks & Spencer store which was stocked with almost everything from plaid jackets to mulled wine mixes; a sight I've never witnessed back at home even on C-day itself. Sure, I was probably a teensy bit dramatic because I'm known to be rather theatrical but simply walking down the streets and shopping in the malls were an experience in itself.

While most vacation round-up blog posts include significant amounts of poolside lounging and shopping bag pictures, you won't find any of that here. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I'm certain no one is interested in the number of Whoppers I ate (countless), the shopping sprees I went (also countless) or what I wore on vacation (which I'll say was quite cool). What you will find is the magnificence of Singapore's Orchard Street and Sentosa Island and Thailand's nooks all donned in Christmas colours. I won't be surprised if you begin to hum 'It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas' once you've viewed these photos.