This is the first time in a long while that I celebrated Christmas in such an elaborate manner, I have almost forgotten what it's like. Those warm Christmases spent at my church's year-end camps feel like a distant memory. While I struggle to figure out where all those lost Christmases disappeared to, this year, in Bangkok's winter chill, I got the feeling back again.
Thanks to Wendy's spontaneous invitation, our festivities started on Xmas Eve:
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| A gathering of new and old friends, with good food and laughter, mainly revolving around some birds described in assorted languages |
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| We ate Caesar Salad tossed in a gigantic Parmesan cheese bowl |
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| We had nearly-exclusive access to a full roast turkey |
And the fun spilt over to Xmas day itself, which started with going to church with a big group of friends, which included 2 Singaporeans, 1 Malaysian, 2 Thais and 2 hybrid kids. In the jingling of all the commercialised marketing gimmicks and carols, it is easy to forget the actual meaning of Christmas is to commemorate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Very aptly, many Thai people pronounce Christmas as Kid Mak, which literally means think a lot in Thai. If everyone can just sit down and spend a few minutes to Kid Mak of the countless things that happened in the past year, I am sure most of us will realise how much grace God has showered over us every single day. That's the actual significance of Christmas, it's most certainly not about presents, turkeys, snowmen or Santa!
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| The day continued with me transforming myself into a Top Chef wannabe |
Christmas, to me, is also about families getting together and sharing heart-warming food at the table. This year, I had the privilege to cook for Li Li, my Baby in Bangkok and our family friend Wendy, so I had to Kid Mak again to ensure an enjoyable Christmas dinner.
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| Dinner's ready! |
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| The ladies I cooked for. |
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| The result: Crispy chicken thigh with baked potatoes and creamed mushrooms. |
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| After several rather un-challenging games of Monopoly Deal over some nostalgic Christmas carols, we ended off a perfect day with arguably our favourite dessert in Bangkok - Larna Cake! |
After seeing the ladies totally enjoying the humble food I placed on the table, I realised another truth, that the diners can not only taste what is on their plate. They can also taste the warmth and love of the cook. I am sure that it was the latter that made the dinner so wonderful.
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| Yii family: Christmas 2011 |
Inevitably, our family picture taken during Christmas will be completely different in 2012. I am looking forward to it.
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