I don’t know if all Singaporeans love Christmas, but one thing’s for certain. All Singaporean department stores love Christmas. For instance, Tanglin Mall, which isn’t far from my workplace, has had a big Christmas tree up in front of its entrance since October. That was before I’d even considered hanging up my orange, pumpkin-shaped fairy lights for Halloween. Evidently, making a few extra bucks out of the festive season by starting it in mid-autumn was too good an opportunity to miss.
Meanwhile, the silvery monster of a Christmas tree pictured above this entry was to be found in the lobby of a much larger mall, Takashimaya. (I’m absolutely not a fan of shopping centres, but Takashimaya has the saving grace of being home to Singapore’s best bookshop, Kinokuniya.) When I was in there yesterday, I couldn’t believe the number of people who were swarming around the base of the tree, attempting to fit the thing into the backgrounds of their selfies.
Of course, the madness of celebrating Christmas in Singapore, or in any country that’s not far off the equator, is that on one hand you’re surrounded by Christmas cards and Christmas decorations featuring snow, icicles, frozen lakes, carol singers wrapped in overcoats and woollen hats, sleighs, reindeer, and a thousand other cold, wintery things. While on the other hand, the temperature outside is in the thirties and the ground feels hot enough to fry an egg on. This crazy incongruity was nicely captured by the committee at my local Hawkers’ Centre*, who this year decided to erect their Christmas tree beside a palm tree.
But anyway… A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.
* A Hawkers’ Centre is a complex packed with stalls where you can buy all manner of food and drink at affordable prices. In fact, in expensive Singapore, Hawkers’ Centres are probably the only places were foodies can indulge themselves without also bankrupting themselves.