Christmas was always my favorite time of year in Canada for all the cheesiest and most clichéd reasons: walks in the snow, hot chocolate in front of roaring fireplaces, carols, time with family, and the general feeling of good cheer that goes along with the whole thing. Also, eggnog and free swag. But as I approach my tenth Christmas in Thailand, I have realized that – somewhat sadly, I admit – I have lost almost all of my emotional connections to this time of year. Now, instead of looking forward to the holiday season, I join the growing chorus of groans when I start to see Christmas trees dotted throughout the city. Of course, whenever anyone says anything anti-Christmas, they’re labeled a Grinch or a Scrooge, but let me explain.

Christmas in western countries is a defining part of our culture, the traditional, emotional, and ceremonial end to the year. If you’re religious, then it takes on an even bigger significance, and there’s church and singing and praying to celebrate the birth of Santa.

Of course, there are worse things to worship.

Of course, there are worse things to worship.

My first Christmas in Thailand was very strange for two reasons: One, it was hot. Growing up in Calgary you expected temperatures of -20ºC for most of December and January, and to have it be a full 50º warmer was a shock. Second, I worked on Christmas Day, supervising a final exam for the school I was teaching at. It was a real eye-opener for me because it was a very salient example of how most of the people in the world, at least population-wise, couldn’t give a flying F at a rolling donut about Christmas.

(This was one thing that always bothered me about that dumb “Do They Know It’s Christmas” song that always gets tons of airplay over the holidays. I think a better question to ask most of the world is – do they care it’s Christmas? Yes, I know the song raised a ton of money for famine charity, and that’s great, but I imagine once the Christmas generosity wore off there were more than a few starving Somalians wondering why no one was sending money anymore).

Anyway, in the past ten years I have slowly but surely fallen out of love with celebrating Christmas for a few reasons. The biggest is that Christmas has always been a time of family. Most of my adult life has been spent a few hours’ flight away from them, so seeing everyone was a unique, once-a-year event. With my family now a 30-hour flight away, this just isn’t feasible every year, or even every other year. The last Christmas I spent at home was, I believe, 2007.

My favorite part was leaving "milk" and "cookies" for Santa.

My favorite part was leaving “milk” and “cookies” for Santa.

In addition to that, Thailand, obviously, is a Buddhist country, so to expect Christmas to be celebrated here is like expecting Visakha Bucha Day to be observed in Canada. Christmas Day in Thailand is like any other day – get up, go to work, come home, relax. No holidays, no special treatment. It’s a good example of the fact that when something stops being coveted or recognized by 95% of the people around you, it quickly loses its appeal and value.

But in the end, what really turned me off of the celebration was the garish commercialism of the whole thing. In Canada, it was bad enough, with ‘Buy! Buy! Buy!’ being screamed into your ear 24/7 and horror stories of relationships, friendships and even jobs being seriously dented or even ruined because you didn’t buy the right gift. But in Thailand, it’s even worse.

Calvin always says it better than anyone else can.

Calvin always says it better than anyone else can.

See, because Thailand is a Buddhist country, doesn’t celebrate Christmas, and has a very small segment of its population that even observes Christmas (0.7%), the entire celebration is the very definition of shallow commercialism. Carols, decorations, sales, and Santas are seen, heard and advertised, but no one outside of the tourists in the malls understands why they’re there or what they mean. For most Thais – and me, now, as well – it’s just some sparkly decorations that go up for a month in December because…well, just because it’s Christmas and that’s what you do at Christmas, I guess. Can someone tell me why again?

Anyway, while I still look forward to the odd time I get to head home and spend Christmas with my family sipping eggnog (with rum, natch) and opening presents on Christmas morning, that’s something that only really means anything in Canada. In Thailand, for me, it’s just a hollow holiday echo that’s really not worth getting worked up over. But, if you still manage to get that holiday cheer all up in your cockles, then more power to you. Have a Merry Christmas and may the New Year bring you much love and laughter. And swag.