Christmas in the Tropics

Christmas Trees in Bali and Thailand – Seasons Greetings!!

I have to admit I am surprised by the sheer number and variety of Christmas Trees I have seen during my time in Bali in Thailand. They are all over the place and someone has obviously taken a great deal of care and time to decorate them. Given that Bali is predominantly Hindu and Thailand is Buddhist, a lot of highly visible and ostensibly Christian symbols seemed a little unexpected to me. The mind does wander into the conclusion that their appearance is strictly crass commercialism and I do see that, but I also think there is a lot of acceptance and respect here for other belief systems and cultures. It did at first seem strange to me to see XmasTrees parked next to Palm Trees and other gorgeous tropical plants, but I have become used to it now and it and no longer strikes me in the same slightly contradictory fashion.

I have been totally impressed by these creations so here is a small random sampling. Enjoy!!