A friend asked where to buy a Christmas tree. As compared to other countries like Australia or America, the people here do not really celebrate Christmas by hanging up stockings or decorating Christmas trees. We do not even have real Christmas trees in the first place!
If we want to get a Christmas tree, we have to get fake ones from the departmental stores around. But that is meaningless, afterall, what is Christmas without a real tree? How I wish I can celebrate Christmas by being tucked away in a snowy place with my loved one, in a log cabin, with a nicely decorated fir tree (one that is already past its prime so I will not need to kill a tree just for the sake of decorating it) with balls and stars and trimmings, where a cosy fire is burning.
I can bake a log cake or Christmas cookies, hang up Santa stockings, roast a turkey or chicken, make a Christmas pudding and celebrate it the real old-fashioned way like how the English used to celebrate. That is the beauty of Christmas - traditional, not the modern commericalised version that is so widespread lately.
Come to think of it, my family never had a Christmas tree, not even a mini one! My first and second exs had Christmas trees and gift exchanges, as to their familes (perhaps being Catholics), Christmas is a rather big thing for them, much more than Chinese New Year.
My family is the other way round. My parents will not bother putting up any trees and whatever gifts they got for us would be handed to us on the day itself. Rather, for Chinese New Year, they still insist on the traditional way of hanging up red lanterns, that odd-looking plant, pasting red letterings and banners and giving us a "sleeping ang pow" for the new year.
So when my friend asked me this question, I was at a loss of what to tell him. He wants a white tree, not just a green one. He was rather surprised when I told him I never bought a Christmas tree in my life, as he thought I, off all people, will celebrate Christmas.
Well, I do celebrate Christmas in my own way, but I just never had a tree. Anyway, upon checking out, I realise that all the big departmental stores are selling Christmas trees and decorations, and some are having big sales on the trees and decorating pieces.
Now, I only wonder if they are selling white trees instead of green.
If we want to get a Christmas tree, we have to get fake ones from the departmental stores around. But that is meaningless, afterall, what is Christmas without a real tree? How I wish I can celebrate Christmas by being tucked away in a snowy place with my loved one, in a log cabin, with a nicely decorated fir tree (one that is already past its prime so I will not need to kill a tree just for the sake of decorating it) with balls and stars and trimmings, where a cosy fire is burning.
I can bake a log cake or Christmas cookies, hang up Santa stockings, roast a turkey or chicken, make a Christmas pudding and celebrate it the real old-fashioned way like how the English used to celebrate. That is the beauty of Christmas - traditional, not the modern commericalised version that is so widespread lately.
Come to think of it, my family never had a Christmas tree, not even a mini one! My first and second exs had Christmas trees and gift exchanges, as to their familes (perhaps being Catholics), Christmas is a rather big thing for them, much more than Chinese New Year.
My family is the other way round. My parents will not bother putting up any trees and whatever gifts they got for us would be handed to us on the day itself. Rather, for Chinese New Year, they still insist on the traditional way of hanging up red lanterns, that odd-looking plant, pasting red letterings and banners and giving us a "sleeping ang pow" for the new year.
So when my friend asked me this question, I was at a loss of what to tell him. He wants a white tree, not just a green one. He was rather surprised when I told him I never bought a Christmas tree in my life, as he thought I, off all people, will celebrate Christmas.
Well, I do celebrate Christmas in my own way, but I just never had a tree. Anyway, upon checking out, I realise that all the big departmental stores are selling Christmas trees and decorations, and some are having big sales on the trees and decorating pieces.
Now, I only wonder if they are selling white trees instead of green.
0 comments:
Post a Comment