Singapore's 3 month long holiday season

For Americans like me, the holiday season starts at Thanksgiving.  OK maybe it starts at Halloween, but that's more like the coming attractions.

With Thanksgiving the official kickoff, we have just concluded with the 2015/2016 multicultural 3-month-long holiday season consisting of Thanksgiving/Diwali/Hanukkah/Christmas/New Years and of course Chinese New Year.  Whew.   And the kids had 3 weeks off for Christmas and then another 10 days for Chinese New Year (CNY).

This was my third such holiday season living in Singapore and we have really enjoyed each and every one.  It's kind of like this time of year emphasizes the best and the worst of living so far from home.  The decorations are amazing and it's really fun to learn about other cultures' traditions, and to celebrate with new friends.  Of course they are tough days to be far from family, and it's up to us to keep all the traditions going for our children, never mind get all the gifts.

Here are some glimpses into this year's festivities:

This 14.5 pound turkey cost about US$150!!! Organic Schmorganic... here I buy frozen butterball, something I would never ever do in the U.S.

Video games set you back in Singapore but hey - it's Hanukkah

the Singapore menorah lighting on Orchard Road - complete with Hasidic music

more xmas decorations - 10 minute walk from my apartment

xmas decorations at Tanglin

the famous Orchard Road at Christmas

No xmas cartoons on tv.... thanks to youtube we watched the original rudolph on tv - and my kids loved it!

had a nice xmas lunch with friends and look at this monkey jumping around right by the restaurant

Recently we saw the end of the pilgrimage that forms part of the south Indian Tamil celebration called Thaipusan .  The devotees walk for hours with body piercings.  In the background check out the Indian temple - one of many in Singapore.  Tamil is one of the four official languages here (the others are English, Mandarin and Malay)

this is the year of the monkey in the Chinese zodiac