It’s Christmas 2010, the season of love and joy…peace and goodwill to all men.
*Fam Mun Shun’s photo on Facebook*
This is the time when people will send cards to family and friends, near or far and go shopping for gifts for everyone.
I got these from my dear friend, Mandy, when I was in Penang…
…including three tubs of Cyn’s chocolate chip cookies. One did not survive the flight home and what was left of it was enough to fill that one bottle, that was all.
Annie-Q dropped by Penang when I was there and passed me these…
The fruitcake was homemade, she said, by coffeesncookies. I have not tried it yet but when we got home, the moment I opened the box, the whiff of brandy that drifted out of it was intoxicating enough to sweep me off my feet – boy, this is going to be good! Yum! Yum! LOL!!
My cousin, Stella, flew in to Penang for our niece’s wedding and she brought me these…
Do ignore the tag on the shirt though. Pssst, Stella…I think I need the 7XL, if you get what I mean! ROTFL!!! Jokes aside, this one fits me like a glove…but can’t button the collar. I think I’ve a very fat neck.
Stella’s sister from Brisbane gave me chocolates…
…and so did my auntie, Natalie, from Singapore…
Gosh! It certainly looks like I can have an open house for anybody who cares to drop by to celebrate this auspicious occasion…and no prize for guessing what I will be serving them! Wink! Wink!!!
And that is not all! Philip‘s son was in town to visit his grandmother and I took him out for dinner one night. He passed me these from the father all the way from the US of A…
…and my friend, Jimmy, gave me these…
…and a set of Tupperware containers – much to the delight of my missus who would find them very handy for stuffing her stuff.
My very nice and thoughtful ex-student, Xavier, came home for the Christmas holidays and insisted that I stayed awake that night so that he could stop by my house on his way home from the airport to pass me these…
…Seremban char siew pao…
I was never a fan…but these were VERY nice – smaller, but really nice! The char siew filling was really good…
…and the boy actually had to go all the way to Sunway to buy them – that was really so sweet of him.
Yes, it’s Christmas all over the world today. In Sibu, the Christian churches got together to join in a grand parade around town on Saturday, 18th December – an idea initiated sometime ago by our late YB…singing Christmas carols and songs like what they have been doing over the years…
*Fam Mun Shun’s photo on Facebook*
It never fails to draw people by the droves each year…
*Fam Min Shun’s photo on Facebook*
…and for one thing, it certainly serves to remind the local folks the true meaning of Christmas which certainly has nothing to do with things like Santa, toy soldiers and fake snow…
*Fam Mun Shun’s photo on Facebook*
Other than the parade, the Sibu town council would hold a Christmas tree competition each year at the town square…
The response this year is not as good as previously and the trees are not as nice, probably because everyone is feeling the pinch of the predominantly not-too-favourable economic situation but one particular tree caught my attention, not because it was beautiful or anything but I would give it the thumbs up for creativity – the uniquely-Sibu kampua Christmas tree…
Yes, Christmas is the time for giving and forgiving…
Christmas greetings from me, my missus and Melissa to all family and friends, near or far…and may the blessings of this Holy Season be upon you all throughout the coming year.
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
merry xmas arthur!
to think of it, i used to have parade marching during christmas back then in school.. organized by a local church.. haha 🙂
Thanks, and the same to you. In Ipoh too? Not anymore? Ours is organised by ALL the Christian churches in Sibu combined together…and the bands from all the schools here will also take part playing Christmas carols and songs… Hope they keep it up every year.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU, YOUR MISSUS AND MELISSA!!!
So much goodies!!! So much blessings from your friends.. I am sure you bless them well too… I know you are very generous too!!!
Thanks, and the same to you and your family. Yes, indeed I am very blessed and I try to reciprocate in my own little ways… 🙂
Merry Sweet Christmas to you & family weeweechu all the very best for two jilo eleven ~;)
Thank you, and the same to you and yours. 🙂
Your post reminds me of this quote –
A little smile, a word of cheer,
A bit of love from someone near,
A little gift from one held dear,
Best wishes for the coming year…
These make a Merry Christmas!
…(John Greenleaf Whittier)
So, happy Christmas!
Thanks, Yan…and the same to you. Lovely poem. I guess you got my sms… Got yours, thanks for that too.
mr. siew baw make me drooling
merry christmas!
Sama-sama…both the drooling and the Christmas wish. LOL!!! 😀
Merry Christmas Arthur.. not quite the big day yet here, but it looks like you’re fortunate to be surrounded by the best of the season – family and friends.
Seeing people in shorts, looking at Christmas trees, with your synthetic blog snowfall in the background is wreaking havoc with my perceptions, haha. I never really thought about it before, but there are likely far more Christians in warm climates than in colder places.
BTW, those chocolate chip cookies look pretty good, another favorite … don’t eat em all at once, LOL.
Same to you, Bob – over there, a few more hours to go. Yes, I am truly blessed with the best of friends all around. It never crossed my mind but indeed, things are so very different here…but I guess the spirit is the same – love and joy, peace and goodwill to all men.
P.S. Oops! Only one tub of those choc chip cookies has managed to survive to see Christmas morn. LOL!!! 😀
Merry Xmas to you, the missus, and Melissa, A! Those pics really warmed the heart, made me feel so much closer to home.
Thanks…and the same to you and your family. Home is where the heart is…
Wow…there was even a procession!
Yes. Not in Malacca? I thought there’s a large Christian community there?
A week I ate a lot of Malaysian food in Houston, Texas. After holiday season, I need to kick my ass to the gym. Huhuhu
I’m consoling myself than when all this is over and my classes resume, I’ll slim down again…but oh no! Chinese New Year’s coming in early February. Fighting a losing battle here. 😦
Merry Xmas, Cikgu…. whaaa… ppl definitely love to feed you. Hmm… if only i know how to bake like Cyn… I certainly would sumbat you with my cookies too. Unfortunately, i have no such skill… my cookies are as hard as rock. Baling to the wall oso the wall will pecah. 😦 And my cakes usually tak naik. Haihh… can only stick with lauk lauk… LOL!
ps: My parents love the masak hitam to bits. Gonna have to get my dad to send me the pics, cuz was too busy digging in and chatting and forgotten to snap a pic of it. My mum was pestering for the recipe of it… but hor… T_T I can only tell them I used instant paste. Chamzz…
Thanks, and the same to you. Mandy doesn’t bake either – she bought from Cyn. Hint! Hint!!! Hehehehehehe!!!! Glad to hear you all like the masak hitam – we use that ourselves…so much easier, no need to go through all the hassle and it’s very nice. I’ve never tried the laksa paste though – they say it’s nice. I wonder whether the rest have tried – no sound at all! Tsk! Tsk!! Next time I know who NOT to give liao! 😦
Paiseh buy from her. *blush blush* She will threaten to hentam me kao kao if I pay her…
I did not cook the Sarawak laksa paste though I wanted to today. My dad says he wanted Thai food. I gave it to my mum instead so that she can go back and masak for my grandpa as my paternal grandpa’s bday is on this 29th, and my parents are going back to Perlis to celebrate his birthday … nvm, she will do more justice to the Sarawak laksa paste than me, because she’s an excellent cook. I’m sure my grandpa and uncles will love it.
ps: The masak hitam was soooo good that my mum did not believe that it was instant paste. She thought I was keeping the recipe a secret. *pengsan*
Oh? Like that, I must also pretend to buy from her… Hehehehehe!!!! Hmmm…next time I go KL, I must bring some more for you and you can give to to your mum. I’ve bought for a number of people…but so far, I never got any feedback as to how it turned out, whether they liked it or not…so I wasn’t really sure whether I should keep buying it and giving it to people even though it’s something authentically Sarawak.
Merry X’mas To you and Your Family !!
A lot of goodies from friends …So sweet of them.
Thanks, and the same to you and yours. Ya…sweet stuff from my sweet friends. LOL!!! 😀
Merry Christmas again to you, Mrs Wee and Mellisa!!
So many sweet stuff!! You must be being good this year? hahahha, that’s why Santa sent a bunch of sweet friends and stuff you with so many goodies.
I bet you got you got a sweet Christmas this year.
Oh…I’m ALWAYS good! Wink! Wink! LOL!!! It certainly is a sweet Christmas for me this year…
LOL… yes, please do. Next time you come KL buy abit more for me. LOL. I’ll give some to my mum so that she can cook for my dad too. But in the meantime, I told my mum to just try your recipe step by step. Can’t comment on the Sarawak laksa… passed it to my mum liao for my grandpa’s bday. (She sed she dono wud to cook ma, so I kasi her that lor)
ps: Did you cook the nasi tomato? How did it turn out? LOL… yesterday my mum cooked nasi tomato… the masak hitam goes well with her nasi tomato. LOL! She said if u want the nasi tomato to taste nicer, be sure to add pandan leaves and cinnamon sticks.
Not yet, will cook that for dinner tomorrow… No problem, can bring lots over next time – not perishable so not so stressful, no need to worry about the stuff going bad. Kinda worrying…
May you have a blessed Christmas and a prosperous new year. May you continue to be surrounded by friends.
Thanks, and the same to you and your family. Yes, I certainly hope so – what is life without friends.
merry Xmas! So envious you get so many pressies!
Thanks and the same to you. Bet you got lots too…and very expensive ones at that. Wink! Wink! 😉 LOL!!! 😀
hmmm, actually i think the siew pow are very yummy, feel like eating them right now.. and that somehow can be treated as oriental christmas minced pie?? kekekeke~~
merry christmas to you and your family.. 🙂
Thank you, and the same to you and yours. Ya, come to think of it, it is our own Asian version of the minced pie…and we do have minced meat inside, not some fruit jam. 😉
SO MANY XMAS PRESSIES!! 😀 envy u now! LOL!! Merry Christmas to u n family yea!
Thanks. Same to you and yours. Like that a lot kah? Hehehehehe!!! 😉 You, of course, only want a pressie from one person mah…
Merry Xmas!
Thanks, and the same to you…
so many goodies, no need to make Xmas cookies liao!
Ya, that’s why I said…can hold open house liao. Hehehehe!!!! 😉
Wow. You have a nice tradition there. It is good Christians there celebrate Christmas by focusing on the birthday celebrant. ^_^
Merry Christmas!
You have so many gifts eh. ^_^
Yes, and I’m so thankful that I have such wonderful and generous friends. Indeed, in the midst of all our celebration, you must always remember the true meaning of CHRISTmas – it’s not just feasting, partying, boozing…like what some people seem to think it is.
Merry Christmas ! you have so many food pressies. : ) The Walkers are making me drool and I just went to get some today.
Hope you enjoy the fruitcake.. remember.. eat at room temperature and it’s meant to be sliced smaller — baru sedap.
Once again, Merry Christmas to you and yours 🙂
Thanks, same to you and yours as well. Yup…I’m cutting them smaller so that there will be enough for all my guests – having a gathering tonight. Walkers are very expensive, all over RM10…and only a few pieces inside. Luckily, people keep giving me so I can enjoy them without having to buy myself. Hehehehehehe!!! 😉
A Belated Merry Christmas to you 😀
Okie goodnites
Thanks, and a belated Christmas to you and your family too. 🙂
So many heart warming Christmas gifts, I would love to have the fruitcakes too, yummy~!!
Thanks, and the same to you and your family. The fruitcake’s really good. Everyone loved it – at my Christmas party last night.
the festivity is what I miss most….also the foods of course. I had to prepare a feast for us and my husband’s family for xmas dinner. That’s the most we can here. Outdoors is just plain old streets and nothing festive.
In the states too? I was in Christchurch and driving through Dunedin, NZ one Christmas many years ago and it was so dead – not a living soul in the streets, no festivities. I guess Christmas is more of a family affair – all the celebration confined to the homes. I also had a gathering for Christmas – will post on it eventually… LOL!!! 😉
another nice butter cookies I’d like to introduce to you is Marks and Spencer’s Viennese .. thin slices of buttery goodness. .only RM10 per pack of 200gm.. I just bought some *NYOM NYOM NYOM* 🙂
hope you had a memorable Christmas !
It certainly was, thanks. Btw, everybody was singing in praise of your fruit cake that I served for dessert at my Christmas dinner last night…but you will need to wait for quite a while before I could post on it – too many things in the line-up. Hmmm…must drop by Marks and Spencer soon…
*grinning w joy*.. 🙂 🙂 🙂
I’ll get you some Viennese butter cookies k ? will check w Annie to see how I can tumpang those cookies to Sibu but I think yr current stock should last a while eh ? sometime ard or after CNY would be perfect !
Oh no! You mustn’t. Please don’t. I can’t keep accepting gifts from everybody, getting so embarrassing. It’s the thought that counts, so this is good enough, thanks… 😉
that’s the spirit.. 🙂 still within the 12 days of Christmas.. so merry Christmas 🙂
Same to you and your family. My Christmas posts tomorrow and the day after – just in time before New Year’s Day. LOL!!! Too many things in the line-up to post about… 🙂