Was driving down Orchard Road (the main shopping belt in Singapore) yesterday when my daughter, S, suddenly exclaimed: "Look mum! Christmas decorations! I cant believe it! It's only October."
Me: Are you sure?
(I was busy concentrating on driving due to the traffic jams)
S: Yes, look it's up the tree.
(The tree was next to the Singapore Visitor centre, next to Faber House)
Lo and behold! she was right.
Me: Maybe they are left over decorations from last year. There are no other christmas decorations around.
Driving on, in front of Orchard Plaza, S shouted again.
S: No, Mum! There are more decorations here. Also, they weren't there yesterday when we drove down this road.
Indeed! there were more snow flakes, and stars hanging from the trees!!
Why? Why? Why? This only happens in Singapore. Where Christmas decorations come out in October. It means we have to put up with it for 2 whole months. In the US, the only deco you would see at this time would be for Halloween, culminating with the Haloween parade in Soho, New York on 31 oct. Thereafter, you would see them getting ready for thanksgiving, which is in the last week of November. THEN, when all the thanksgiving celebrations (and the great big post-thanksgiving sale) is over, you would see Christmas deco coming up. Here, we have even yet to celebrate Deepavali, and Christmas deco is up. It is just getting too commercialised.
Please! Would the person in charge of making the decision of when to put up the christmas deco spare a thought for some of us? 2 months is a bit too long!
Christmas in October? Only in Singapore!!
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7 comments:
The Xmas decor for the tourists maaa.... Like me. I wanna bring the boys down to singapore when we go back to KL in Dec.
It looks like this year, over here, the stores are also starting early. My boys found it odd too, and were also asking me how come Christmas stuff are now already being sold side by side with Halloween ones =), when normally, as you said, we don't see them till later. And no, I don't think the stores were clearing out last year's stuff.
I was just commenting in another blog that it is sad that decorations are up earlier and earlier.
It is all down to greed trying to attract the customers to spend more earlier.
Christmas has been so commercialised that many forget the real reason behind the season. The key thing for these businesses is to make money and make it quick. Poor Deepavali has been overshadowed...again.
wah...so early ah? then soon after, you see they convert all the Santa Claus figurines to "Cai Shen Ye" - CNY fortune god!
Really? I haven't been to Orchard for a month due to the children's exams. Got to see it and take photos. hehe.... but I hate the crowds and the traffic jam.
ecl
Not all the deco is up, just some of it, So if you want to take photos and all, wait a while longer.
tigerfish
yes, I cant stand the conversion of santa to cai shen. too tacky, I find!
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