IS THIS TRUE?

[PeteC]

I agree 100% Chelsea. Many of your words ring true for those of us living in Thailand as well.

Yes, many of us jest about the frustrations of life here but at the end of the day that's all it is, jest.

Those who are hell bent though to change this place should probably not be here. Pete

[chelsea]

I agree 100% Chelsea. Many of your words ring true for those of us living in Thailand as well.

Yes, many of us jest about the frustrations of life here but at the end of the day that's all it is, jest.

Those who are hell bent though to change this place should probably not be here. Pete

Pete, I know there is a lot of people in thailand that do and do not support the idea of xmas over there and to me that is good. It is part of what I was on about in the living in the country and adapting to life there. But still makes me laugh that the banks are open on xmas day and majority of businesses carry on a normal routine regardless.

Is so funny here because one local deli shop that is run by a Vietnamese guy is the only shop that is open on Xmas Day in our area.
Last year I wanted to take some ice to my mates house to keep the beer cool and could find nowhere that had any left in the petrol stations.

I drove past his shop, and for the day he hired a refrigerated van and had his son and daughter selling bags of ice from the back of the truck. Fair play to him, I got my ice and was very happy, and so were the ques of people at the back of his truck. I spoke to him later and he said he sold two truck loads in the day.

When I lived in Sydney and Melbourne, it was the same, all of the small Asian run shops opened up till around lunch time and were absolutely flooded with customers till they closed.
Although moving to another country they all seem to carry on business as they did from living in their own countries, and good luck to them for doing so.

[hhfarang]

I understand most people here not celebrating Christmas... but the op was about Christmas Cards in Britain...

[chelsea]

HHF, I am fully aware of what the original post was about, and was not critisizing what happens at Christmas anywhere else in the world.

When I first moved to Australia, I found Christmas was very different there to what it was in the UK.
But when you choose to live there you make the most of it and adapt to what is happening in your new country.

Getting on in a new country does not start by trying to change traditions that have gone on there for many years, because it may have offended someone religious views.
By doing that, those people are alienating themselves from the residents of their new countries from the start of their new life there.
.
What I was saying is that what the OP mentioned is only the tip of the iceburg of how people (doesn't not matter what country you live in) have to bow and scrape to minority races that move to a country and then moan and whinge about the customs and rules of that country.

My original statement stands, if you do not like life in your new country, move and leave the country you are moaning about to run as it should be for the people who enjoy it that way.

[Terry]

Some interesting responses.

For the record my OP was aimed mainly at the PC brigade who now seem to be in total control of the country that I grew up in.

I have previously ranted on this site about the crap driving - why - because it's an unnecessary waste of life.
I've moaned about the BIB and the corruption - why - because it pisses me off and I've suffered because of it.

But in general, here in Thailand there is a live & let live attitude and as V.S. said - it reminds us why we live here.

Come Christmas time you will see more better decorated Christmas trees in BKK than you will in London. You can also get Christmas Cards that say "Merry Christmas" and yet this is not a Christian country.

However - I don't think the 'authorities' would change the customs of Thailand just to appease the local immigrant minority and rightly so.

As I see it - the UK has lost the plot - lost its' heritage and lost its' way in Europe .........And most Brits never wanted Europe anyway.

Right now I'm close to finishing an assignment in Delhi
Trust me - you don't know how lucky you are in Thailand - you haven't seen ANYTHING that can come close to the driving stupidity here. As for the corruption.........................

I can't wait 'til I get back home to Hua Hin - because it IS home warts & all

[chelsea]

JD, Agree with what you say. After living in Australia now for 28 years, what is happening in the UK is mirrored and happening here big time, and will not be long before it will be as bad here as the UK.

It is a shame because what I liked about it there when I first came over was their happy go lucky attitude to life.
Now is just as bad as the UK with the PC brigade ruining all the good things that I enjoyed about when I first arrived.

Although I do not live there anymore, I went back to the UK a couple of years ago and had a great time.
What I did notice, was the changes that everyone goes on about caused by the influx of EU immigrants that now live there. You read about it. But until you see if 1st hand, you do not see realize how bad it is affecting people over there.

[lindosfan1]

Of topic I know is that it fits in with Chelseas post.
My last job invovled travelling around the UK inspecting the work done by staff in offices. Part of tis was listening to people talk and other distractions one coversationI heard was about Poles coming to work in the UK and undercutting their husbands price. The people complaining were Indians.
Back to topic one of the joys of not living in the UK is not having Christmas publicised everywhere for about 4 months the same with Easter.

[Big Boy]

As this has developed from Christmas Cards to Christmas in general, I'll add my 2 penneth.

I'm on a training course in London this week. 3 of the people on the course have specifically booked this course in London in September to allow them to visit Harrods to buy their Christmas Baubles

[caller]

Going back to the OP, these stories pop up all the time now and they are not true.

Sure, the odd PC headmaster gets it wrong about a nativity play and the odd dumb Council gets in a tiswas about 'Christmas'. They are invariably treated with scorn and rightly so. Wherever there is a local 'ethnic' community, they are usually the loudest to protest when such 'banning' occurs.

My step-son even took part in his schools 'multi-national' nativity play and belted out carols with the rest of them!

[Spitfire]

It is also worth mentioning that the Thais do and are steadily taking to festivals that are not indigenous to Thailand. They are starting to.....well, "celebrate" might be a bit stong, but "get involved with" might be better, all sorts of festivals.

Have to remember that many private schools are catholic related and these christian festivals (Easter and Christmas certainly) are practiced by pupils of all ages in elementary and secondary levels, not to even mention Chinese New Year (although the explanation with that one is more obvious). I also suspect that middle class Thais get involved with it as they then appear more international etc, "face" thing.

So, in a way, the Thais have been fairly good at embracing certain other cultures fesivals but giving them a Thai makeover, so to speak. Good on them in that respect, they've done a better job than most other none western countries.

Wonder what interests them so much about these non Thai festivals?

[dtaai-maai]

So, in a way, the Thais have been fairly good at embracing certain other cultures fesivals but giving them a Thai makeover, so to speak. Good on them in that respect, they've done a better job than most other none western countries.

Wonder what interests them so much about these non Thai festivals?

Looking at it slightly sideways, most religions seem to feel threatened by, or at least in competition with others. I don't think technically that Buddhism is a religion (but let's not go there now!), but it doesn't seem to want to compete with anyone. And let's face it, Thais love a party.

[STEVE G]

As I see it - the UK has lost the plot - lost its' heritage and lost its' way in Europe .........And most Brits never wanted Europe anyway.

I agree with you that the UK has lost the plot, but I've worked in continental Europe for most of the last eight years and I don't think you can lie the blame on Europe as the UK is far more PC than any other country I've been to.
In my opinion it's a home-grown thing used to justify the labour government forming yet more non-jobs to enforce it.

[stgrhe]

.........And most Brits never wanted Europe anyway.

So you mean the UK is not part of Europe then?

[caller]

.........And most Brits never wanted Europe anyway.

Thats interesting because back in 1972 there was an open referendum for everyone to vote on joining europe and the vote was in favour.

However, what we now have is very different to what we joined and the latest treaty is probably a stop too far for most. And where a referendum has been held to vote yes/no to the new treaty, its been rejected, such as in Ireland and and I believe the Netherlands?

There was an initial promise that the Brits would be allowed a vote on this, but the Govt. has since changed its mind. They know what the response would be.

[Arcadian]

New Labour/Gordon Brown/Tony Blair/Mandelson/John Prescott, they are just a bunch of lying, cheating, conniving, self serving chancers. Vote them out as soon as possible. BTW we heard Christmas tunes in Market Village back in July. Just good tunes I guess.