With last Christmas in lockdowns, looks like we are about to make up for it this year. Decorations are up at malls and homes. But will it be the same as previous years? I don't know.
At the entrance of the mall KLCC, there is a towering tree. It is about 3 storeys high. Families, couples and groups of friends all wanted a shot with this magnificent tree. They trumped over a lone woman with a phone in hand and I had time, so I kept letting the families go ahead of me, did some people watching while I waited my turn.
Baubles of all sizes hung from the tree. I'm sure at night, it would be even more spectacular with the lights on.
Once I walked into the building and straight ahead to the concourse area, the first thing that caught my eyes was the train.
The second thing that caught my eye was the giant poinsettias (not real of course).
There were presents everywhere (empty for sure). Boxes wrapped in glitter and bold, in every shape and size, stacked with luggage bags to tease of travel.
I have to say though, it is quieter than the previous years. I suppose not everyone's in the mood. The news tells me that 600,000 families have dropped from the middle income to the bottom group.
Supposedly Santa's house and looks like some presents are ready to be on their way to the good little peeps around the world. Have you been good?
Christmas was Mum's thing and as adults, all of us tried our darndest to come back for Christmas. Why try and not make it so?
As a performing artist, this would be the time of the year that we'd get jobs back to back. With radio, we had to take turns to be off for the festive season or there would be no one manning the station.
As for my brother, he had a similar situation. Pilots need to take turns to take year-end off.
Since Mum passed, we have not tried as hard. She was the glue that kept us together. For her, it was never the presents but the presence. In fact, I don't remember a year where she went out of her way to buy presents for the adults but she was also one that gave us gifts all through the year. If we needed something, we didn't have to ask her twice. Sometimes we didn't have to ask her at all. She gave without expecting anything in return.
I am not entirely sure what's happening this Christmas. My brother is trying to visit with his family, but he will be quarantined if he makes it and I am not sure how that's going to pan out. And then again, let's see what happens now with the Transformers sending down their very own variant.
What is it like on your side of the world? Is it Christmas as usual or will you have to tweak it accordingly?