Almost Christmas

It is almost Christmas. Since it isn’t a national holiday here I feel freer to tell people that across the globe people will gather on or around December 25 to celebrate and remember the birth of Jesus. This isn’t the festive season. It isn’t a snowy, mid-winter holiday. It is Christmas.

This December I have seen more fake snow, bright lights and scrawny plastic trees decorated “like Santa threw up on them” than in any previous year in Cambodia. (Someone told me the other day that one of the international hotels in PPenh has a special promo reindeer buffet on the 25th? Weird?!? What else? Santa on a spit roast? Santa’s little helpers dipped in chocolate for afters?)

Not surprisingly, many locals still have no idea what Christmas is about. I’m happy to try to explain the purpose of the celebrations to people like the random waiter who thought we are preparing for “Bon Jol Chnam Chrisma Americ” i.e. “the Festival of American New Year, Christmas.” Whether they get it or just think I’m a strange deer-eating American who is hoping for some super cold weather remains to be seen….