25 December 2002

   Some of you have asked how Christmas is celebrated here.  Our first response is: "Not much! " Christians make up barely 1 percent of the xm-Prasert02population.  Those few tend to congregate in Bangkok or Chiangmai celebrating Christmas with private parties, a mass or a church service.  Some hill tribe groups are also Christian.   Our friend Prasert is Karen.  His village, about two hours from Chiangmai, hosted this year'sxm-allymcbealangel02 Christmas Eve Mass.  Christian, Hindu, Muslim, or Buddhist, gift-giving parties to support a cause are common in this season.  A recent one, for instance, was held to give gifts to orphans with AIDS. 

  xm-trees02 Thai people are aware of this holiday.  On our trip to the shopping center, we were greeted more than once by strangers saying "Merry Christmas!"  The shopping centers capitalize on the season by playing Christmas xm-eggs4xmas02music on their sound systems, putting up trees (albeit strangely colored ones!) and angels (stranger still). Grocery stores offer ribbon festooned tins of cookies, baskets of fruit or eggs (we didn't quite get that one), and even thinly built Santa's passing out free samples of the latest snack product for sale. 

   English TV channels offer Christmas shows like "The Grinch" and Hallmark specials for the xm-thaisanta02English-speaking, wealthy few who receive satellite cable.  Christian schools and Western-owned businesses have holidays. 

   Other than that, Christmas Day is like any other.  Everyone else is working.  Markets, post offices, and banks are open. Street repair continues. Everyone is bustling to and from work, eating at the noodle stands.

   We spent our day eating out and going to see Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers, re -reading e-mail and cards from family & friends, and delivering a gift of cookies to the neighbors.

   Today is the second Christmas Day in European countries.  We are hanging out at home, eating leftovers, cleaning cabinets, picking up laundry, and feeling happy that last night's rain storm ended in time to dry things out.  At 4 p.m., we will walk to the CMU Art Museum where something or other is happening.  We aren't sure what.  All the signs and banners are in Thai only and we can't read yet.  Still we know something will take place and people will treat us kindly and will try to explain to us what is happening. 

   It reminds us how difficult English is for Thai people with all its cases, vowel sounds, and endings.  Thai grammar is so easy by comparison. After giving us perplexed looks then laughing, the people forgive our errors , especially the tonal ones.  Still, we are often amused reading their interesting misspellings and translations.  So, for the last newsletter of 2002, here are a couple of examples we'd like to share with you:

ONE VERY COLORFUL T-SHIRT for sale in a upscale store reads:  "An angry man is seldom resonable (sic).  A resonable (sic) man is seldom angry."     Does it mean you can put resin on him?

We bought some adhesive felt pads to keep the kitchen cabinet doors from slamming shut so hard.  The back of the package explained how and when to use them:

Purposing in use: 

  1. to be fixed on an end of the legs of tables or chairs to protect from crashing to a  delicate floor, as wood pake floor, resin mat, vinyl tile, and other furnitures.
  2. to be fixed on the wall in your bathroom or toilet, for releasing smash from the door opened.
  3. to be fixed on all kinds of your things, to protect from tracing, cracking, and damages.

    To be careful:  It should be better if you clean the area with sandpaper or something like this, full smoothingly, before fixed on.