Merry Christmas

I hope everyone back home is having a wonderful Christmas in the snow. We had a great Christmas day. Roya could hardly sleep. She got me up in the middle of the night (actually a couple of times) to ask if it was morning yet!

We started our day with a few gifts wrapped in newspaper and some wrapped in plastic bags. They don't seem to have much Christmas paper here. We had each bought one or two things for the the others, and each gift was so lovingly selected that it made it extra special.

We did our usual tradition of covering the presents and rolling dice to see who gets to pass out the next gift. It was a tradition that was passed down through my father's family. I think it was meant as a means to draw out the fun of Christmas morning, particularly in lean years. I was so thankful for it this year, because it made it seem so much like at home. We didn't have a Christmas tree, but the girls cut out and decorated paper ones and set them out in a circle along with stars, and snowmen.

After presents and phoning my sisters - it was still Christmas Eve for them - the girls played with their new Barbie dresses, and toy cell phones. I couldn't help overhearing some of their conversations. Roya was a doctor and Yasmin was a bossy patient trying to get her check-up in before she had to go to the ball!


We headed to Siam Water Park for most of the day. It was very quiet and in the morning we were almost the only ones there. In the afternoon some school groups came so it picked up a little, but still no lineups. We all went down the slides, but the girls outlasted us by a long shot. They went down the water slides until their legs hurt from climbing the stairs at a run too many times! They especially liked the ones that twist and turn, but the one that went straight down was fun too.

We also enjoyed the huge wave pool that was done up like a beach. The waves were pretty calm though. There was also a pool that had a bit of a current in it. For the most part, the current was very slow, but in one spot, it was fast, and we all played there for a bit. I kind of felt like the otters in the zoo that keep sliding and turning in the water.

We stayed a little longer than planned at the water park, and when we got home we had to rush to get ourselves cleaned up for dinner. Back into a taxi and downtown for our Christmas dinner at the Bourbon Street Restaurant. They had a fantastic spread. Buffet tables were full with turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables, gravy, and a table full of all sorts of desserts, pumpkin, apple, and lemon pies, brownies, chocolate cake, carrot cake, cheesecake, puddings, and so much more. I'm still too full and we finished eating almost two hours ago!

The restaurant was filled with others wanting some Christmas cheer, and it was the first place in Thailand that I can say that I really felt the joy and love of Christmas. We had a great time eating and singing along to the Christmas carols. Food is so much of our tradition. It was wonderful to have Christmas dinner that wasn't so different from what we would have had at home.

CM