Christmas At The Mall.

Being the good housewife house-child that I've been for the entire month of November, I treated myself with a trip out to the mall with Edward yesterday. I'm not going to say anything about it because I'm sure his gonna blog about it soon (and post pictures as well!) and I'll just link it up here when he does. I have to mention though, I had a really good time with Casino Royale and lunch (and the inevitable roam at the mall) with him!

Anyway, entering the mall yesterday, after a whole month of wifely duties, I must say I was excited! What else when greeted at the main entrance, where dad dropped me, by extravagant Christmas decorations! My heart was practically jumping in amazement to see how fast the mall's creative team have decorated the place so beautifully and festively! Think of - a water fountain as the center piece, complete with a statue in the middle with flowing water and a place to sit around the fountain, a huge Christmas tree decorated with lovely green ornaments and lights, topped with a fairy (or cupid angel, I'm not sure), suspended in mid-air, and surrounded by many other smaller trees amongst old-fashioned lamp posts as the main attraction to greet shoppers! Though I don't really agree to the excessive usage of green elements, it still looks authentic to me.

After a while of good gaping at the piece they have put together, I headed to cold storage, looking for some breath mints or a can of drink since I arrived earlier than planned. Instead of seeing the usual domestic household items decked obstructively, behind the cashiers for I-have-too-much-money-and-time housewives to buy them, it was replaced by boxes of candy canes, chocolates and Christmas baubles, all wrapped up in green and red packages, arranged neatly and uniquely according to the festive mood, waiting for the next shopper to pick them up! Venturing further into the place, it's hard to miss the fact that there was a couple shopping for Christmas trees, laid out at the intersection of multiple rows of lanes of diary products and the likes.

Plastic Christmas trees, to be exact, from 3ft till 6ft tall, decked in their boxes with price tags on them. Certainly not the likes of picking out the perfect and shopping for a real tree in the cold snow before having them delivered to our already decorated houses complete with a warm fire but it still gives it that tinge of reality in the world we're living in. I have no qualms about it. After all, I've been using the same old plastic tree, stashed away in the storeroom after every Christmas till the next year for almost 5 years now! Anyway, to the left and right of the stack of boxes hung countless of packages of Christmas decorations (items), ranging from mock wreaths and candy canes to electrical lights and the shining star to add into the glorious touch to the tree!

Darn, I was so tempted to get one of those shiny, glittery ornaments to add into my collection, if not the glowing plastic star to put on my tree this year, considering how worn out the current tree ornaments that I own look like now! Kind of disappointing when I don't have the extra cash to spare and I could only tell myself that getting anything as near as a box of chocolates for myself this Christmas would be counted as unnecessary spending, if not, causing a big hole through my pocket. Yes, I am that broke and I'm not complaining about it! So all I had to do was to look away and walk away, after a few moments worth of imagining how beautiful the tree would look this year with that added star! There goes my Christmas wishlist and probably, no Christmas shopping this year. Pfft, Christmas shopping is overrated anyway!

Things got a little better when I heard them playing instrumental Christmas carols in their P.A. system! It was kind of unexpected to me - kind of surprising too! Apparently, I'm not the only who's in a rush waiting impatiently for Santa Christmas to come! Honestly, I thought I was insane to be listening to Christmas carols at the beginning of November (or maybe October?) but I don't feel that strange anymore now that I know the public's been receiving the celebration well too, or maybe a little bit too early. I suppose as Malaysians, we're pretty used to the four celebrations all jammed up in close proximity that when Hari Raya was over this year, there's nothing else to look forward to celebrating other than Christmas! Come to think of it, the whole mall and the shops in it are all playing Christmas carols and graced with mini Christmas trees or other seasonal elements! Isn't it a good time for business? Best time of the year, they say!

Seeing how the malls (possibly non-Catholics and non-believer of Christ) are awaiting the Christmas cheer, it really ticks me off that I haven't even got my own tree up yet! The Christmas carols are a sure thing but the tree is not up yet! How could this happen?! To top that, I haven't been doing any prior preparations to welcome the celebration also. No wreaths, no mistletoe, no stockings on the walls! OMG! This is a crisis! Haven't even received any Christmas cards yet, unlike yesteryears. At this time, usually, cards filled with love and warmth come pouring in from the people who care and also, from people who don't care! Seriously, cards with images of sparkling diamonds, filled with brochures of promotions on the newest edition of rings and bracelets from Habib Jewels or tempting end year sales promotion from GAMA? Blame mom for having so many cards!

Damn it, I've got to start preparing! There're still so many cookie recipes I haven't tried out yet! And there's the spring cleaning that needs to be carried out and the house decorations (the tree is not considered decoration!) and the shopping for presents (for family members, not for myself!) and so much more! Have I mentioned choir and caroling to various hotels? I'm still unsure if akak's going to come back tomorrow! I mean if she doesn't, my plans for this Christmas will be undoubtedly be affected, one way or another. Christmas sounds nice and easy but no one knows the trouble behind it all. Well, not exactly trouble, but the work behind it all. Oh well, I guess this is what makes Christmas, Christmas! Well, at least I have a little Christmas mood going on on my desktop (not to mention my playlist!).

Gee... I wish I could prepare a meal like that for Christmas...

PS: I can see Edward (if not, anyone reading this) rubbing his forehead, frowning at my Christmas rants by now. I mean, he's always giving me that weird look (somewhere between a frown, a scowl and a sigh) when I get all excited about Christmas! Anyway, this is what happened yesterday.