24 December, 2012

New Traditions

You know those t-shirts that used to be all the rage (before the "keep calm and..." craze) that said "I'd rather be" ...fishing... for example?  Well for the last week I could have quite happily worn one that said "I'd rather be in Vermont".  There have been instances of eyes welling up when certain Christmas songs were heard in shops (the music from the film The Snowman for instance, which we usually watch on Christmas Eve), of feeling a bit empty when trying to work out a Christmas menu (we'll be cranking the aircon as Matt wants to do roast lamb), of just not feeling the Christmas vibe.

It's hard.  We've only been here 4 months.  Not enough for it to feel like home.  We don't have our puppy with us, and we don't have our beautiful barn room with a giant real Christmas tree, with snow outside and lovely crazy neighbours next door and dear friends up the road to drop in for Christmas Eve drinks....
See the downward spiral I can quickly get in to?

So, we have been trying hard to make new traditions.  We've done shopping in places like Little India and China Town where it doesn't feel quite so hyped up commercialism (something the Singaporeans do very well).   Mum sent me some money for Christmas and with it I bought Apple TV, which is NOT a TV but a device that lets you watch movies and TV that you buy on iTunes on your TV.  Brilliant for us because it's meant we have been able to watch some Christmas movies and this years season of Doctor Who, which has meant some nice family nights on the sofa like we used to.  

And then last night I took Kit and Ella down the the "snow" at Tanglin mall.
 Yes, this heaving, sweating mass of people is what you have to tolerate to have fun here.  Anything good will have masses of people pushing and standing in really inappropriate places.

We last went to this in 1999 with Remi and Oscar.  They shoot foam from cannons at the Christmas tree, although they also make foam pits for the kids to play in and cover themselves in foam.  It's all outside and free.
 Kit is in the orange shirt.  I couldn't get any closer to take better photos.
 That's a flash of Ella in the blue pants.  These two photos were literally taken with me holding my phone in the air and in the general direction that I knew the kids to be in.  I wasn't able to watch them having fun.  I had to stand well back out of the way constantly being jostled as people pushed to get past, and sweating.

 This is how they came out. Fortunately they'd brought a change of clothes as we had to catch the bus home.  Matt had told us to take a taxi, but apart from the line to the taxi being 20 people long, we were actually walking along Orchard Rd faster than the cars were driving.  OH Christmas in Singapore!
 It was very pretty though, and the kids had a ball.
 Nice to see the Christmas lights on Orchard too.  Ella was saying how she hadn't seen the decorations at all, even though we've been down to Orchard Rd a few times.  That's because we catch the MRT under ground to get there and wander from mall to mall through underground passageways (usually because if you even think about going outside it's raining).
Certainly different to Christmas shopping in Manchester, VT in the snow....

And don't mind my grumpiness.  Moving to a new place is always hard.  4 months is well within the period of getting used to things, and this is the first time we've ever moved where we've felt like we've had a home to go back to somewhere.  But, I would have been just as happy to be spending Christmas in Tassie with family this year, too.

Anyway, where ever you are in the world, I'm wishing you a happy Christmas.  If you are somewhere you love, make the most of it!  If you're not, make the most of it anyway!

3 comments:

  1. I've got Maggie and Siss and Rosie here, so of course I am somewhere I love, that being said, I would prefer being at 01 as it was circa 1995, but in 2012 of course.
    Just enjoy, have a great one, send me your Skype details and I will have another go.
    PS I do feel sorry Honey couldn't be with you, that would have made all the difference.
    love
    Dad

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  2. For many years we've watched The Snowman at Christmas, Georgia; it's SO much a part of my Christmas, but now we only have it in video format so I'll have to order a DVD! We do have a "smart" TV now but we're not smart enough to use it to its full capacity.... Love your "snow" photos! Looks like the beginning of a crazy new Christmas tradition....
    HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

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  3. just caught up with your last four post...pretty crazy here with Kelv's heart op in Melbourne the week before Christmas...so Merry Christmas to you and yours from us and ours...i LOVE it when you start a new tradition...if you ever come back to Australia to live it will be hard to keep that one going....he he XXXXX

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