We remember our first year in Thailand, we were genuinely surprised that Christmas isn’t celebrated the same way it is in the Philippines. Here, New Year is the bigger celebration, so we felt a bit bummed knowing we still had to work on Christmas Day. Coming from the Philippines, it felt strange, because Christmas is the biggest celebration of the year for us, something people start looking forward to as early as September. Right then and there, we also realized that Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country, which is why Christmas isn’t a national holiday like it is back home. That doesn’t mean there’s no Christmas spirit here, there definitely is. You’ll find it in malls, hotels, cafés, and restaurants that decorate, play Christmas music, and create a festive atmosphere. So during Christmas, we celebrate in our own way. We go to restaurants, like @Petit Jardin in Chiang Mai, and other places that still embrace the holiday. And that’s how we’ve learned to experience Christmas in Thailand: different, but still special.