December is my favourite month of the year, second only to March as that’s my birthday month.  There’s a sense of joy and lightness in the air, imagined or otherwise, at least in the airspace that I breathe and live in. December means year-end holidays, Christmas, presents and eating loads of good stuff. How can this month be anything but good?

December almost has a magical atmosphere in a Disney-ish sort of way. People, in general, appear less stressed and harassed, enjoying a few days away from work or finishing up the balance of their holiday for the year. As December also coincides with the last four weeks of the local school holidays, parents are relieved from the daily grind of early mornings and traversing the city to get their kids to schools on time. Commuters also heave a sigh of relieve for the slightly freer flow of traffic on the roads especially during peak hours. On the flipside, I have had parents tell me keeping their on-holiday children entertained is harder than going to work. Roads and trains are busier because people are off work and out shopping. Oops…

For my husband and me, the best part of taking a break at this time of the year is clients are also usually away, making the holiday free from work-related phone calls and emails.  Quiet and nice. Of course, airfares and accommodation are at their highest, but we won’t go there.

The city brightens up with decorations appearing everywhere. I love the vibrant lights and colours.  Trees dressed in traditional reds and greens, twinkle lights, beautifully wrapped boxes of presents (empty no doubt, but no matter) and faux snow grace almost every shopping centre in KL.  Each year, there is a tacit competition between malls, each with its own clever themes, mammoth trees and Christmas scenes, vying to be recognised as the destination with the best Christmas decorations.

I know it’s a marketing strategy to attract and entice us to spend money, but that is precisely what Christmas is, the season or reason for giving and receiving. I still get such a high from opening presents even now and even though I know what I am getting, most times. At this stage of my life, I want for fewer things. And, luckily for me, I get equally excited with a box of chocolates (if truth be told, more so) as I do with clothes or jewellery. For me, its fun to give as it is to receive. Yes, presents do increase our spending but we have next year to start saving again.

December is desserts galore for me. It is the one time of the year that my husband and I sign up for a sumptuous Christmas buffet lunch. It’s not because we don’t like buffets, we like it too much, and eat ourselves silly. At least one of us does. A Christmas buffet lunch in Malaysia is an experience not to be missed. It is expensive but extensive with quality, fresh ingredients, mouth-watering creations and eye popping presentations. It is not limited to the customary Christmas fare of roast turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes, carrots, Brussel sprouts and parsnips, accompanied with Christmas pudding, mince pies and fruitcake. It is much, much more because in true Malaysian fashion, there is also a stomach-challenging selection of international and local cuisine.

On offer are Chinese, Malay, Indian, Japanese and Middle-Eastern cuisine  from dim-sum to baba ganoush, and cold-cuts, fresh seafood like oysters, prawns and squid, nuts of various varieties, plus a wide choice of breads and condiments.

Despite the wonderful array of food, the only section of the buffet that interests me is the delectable desserts. It’s like being in cake and chocolate heaven. There are multitudes of tempting chocolate cakes, cheesecakes, cream cakes, tartlets, crumbles, cupcakes, cookies, chocolates, macarons, eclairs, ice-cream and a chocolate fountain. Each year, I ask for the Christmas menu to be emailed to me so that I can choose and prioritise the sweets that I want to have on the day. My plan always falls by the wayside. I eat way too much, and feel uncomfortably stuffed. Sugar overload used to make me speak fast and animatedly. Not anymore. Now, I just can’t keep my eyes open and feel sleepy, lethargic. Typical law of diminishing returns. Do I learn from previous years? Sadly no. I am a repeat offender. But, I always have a jolly good time, which makes it all worthwhile.

December also wraps up the old year reminding us of family and friends; good and bad times and memories, as well as the days and months that pass us by, in an ‘Auld Lang Syne’ kind of way. And, ready or not, it paves the way for a new year. A new year that is, hopefully, safe, kind, peaceful and happy for all.