Celebrating Christmas in Bangkok

Christmas celebrations find their way all around the world, and Thailand is not immune. I've often said I don't know a nation that enjoys celebrating more than the Thais.

I count 6 national holidays and observances in the month of December alone leading into the New Year.  Not that I know the reason for each holiday but I sure wasn't complaining during my working years. I remember how every week in December before our school's Christmas break seemed to be a 'shortened week'.

This year, I decided to get a change of pace from the coast of Thailand and go to the city to visit with friends and revisit Christmas in Bangkok. Sure enough, the decorations were everywhere and it was fun remembering how the city celebrates this time of year... right down to the parking attendants.

A definite highlight of my week was a Christmas concert performed by the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra. It was one to remember!

I'm actually (literally) glad I made it after almost getting run over by a motorbike. It stopped only inches away from me when it came screaming between stopped cars and I was walking across the street at the crosswalk to the performance center. Talk about my guardian angel working overtime!

After collecting myself and finding my seat at the Thailand Cultural Center, I can't remember a better concert in my life. All pieces were performed with excellence and certainly paid tribute to the Christmas season.

The longer the concert lasted, the more difficult it became to pick a favorite piece in the lineup. I was leaning toward a rendition of Georg Götsch's Still, Still, Still with the integration of the chorus from the carol Angels We Have Heard on High. That is, until they played my favorite of all time: Gabriel's Oboe by Morricone.

Add to this, I sat in stunned silence when the announcer in this public venue mentioned how this concert was in "celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago". His words exactly numerous times throughout the evening. You couldn't ask for a better testimony why Christmas is celebrated!

Needless to say I enjoyed practically every minute of the concert... it was worth every penny and every effort it took to get there!