One of my favorite things about this time of year in Bangkok is the incredible abundance of Christmas decorations which go up all over the city. I enjoyed some of these decorations throughout November and December, but in the week between Christmas and New Years, my wife and I took our annual journey across downtown to check out some of the best "illuminations" at the city's shopping malls.
Terminal 21
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| Even the geisha statues on the "Tokyo" floor of this airport-themed mall was dressed for the season. |
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| Outside of Terminal 21, letters for Santa were pouring into the Santa Express mailbox. |
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| Trees lined the walkway leading from the BTS Skytrain to the mall. |
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| Bangkok's legendary Beatle's cover band, The Better, was rocking out the Fab Four's biggest Christmas hits in the lobby of Terminal 21. |
EmQuartier and Emporium
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| EmQuartier had set up a Korean Christmas Market in its ground floor courtyard, complete with snacks, soju, and crafts. |
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| All the parking attendants were dressed like Santa, ushering in cars and taxis to the mall's parking lot in Christmas style. |
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| This year, the Christmas tree was a funky and psychedelic neon. |
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| Emporium, owned by the same company as EmQuartier across the street, continued the color scheme, creating a dazzling rainbow in the "EM District". |
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| The walkway at Emporium was similarly decorated. |
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| It wouldn't be Christmas in Bangkok without the annual Starbuck's Christmas drink that we always order before setting out to view the light displays! We enjoyed our frappe at the sky garden in EmQuartier shopping mall before venturing out to see the rest of the illuminations. |
Gaysorn Plaza
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| Gaysorn Palaza, one of Bangkok's oldest and fanciest shopping malls, was decorated using traditional Thai and Indonesian motifs. |
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| Specifically, this year's Christmas and New Year's decorations featured flowers and legendary birds, such as the phoenix or Garuda. |
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| Outside of the mall sat Santa's sleigh, where passers-by could sit for a photo or two. |
DonDon Donki
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| The big Japanese department store DonDon Donki was also set up for Christmas! |
Central World
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| The biggest Christmas tree is always at Central World. |
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| This year, the theme was "Forwarding Happiness", something I think everyone needs after two years of global pandemic. |
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| The Central World tree never fails to impress. |
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| It was crowded, but everyone was wearing a mask and attempting to remain socially distant. Thailand has done a good job keeping new waves of COVID in check. |
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| Ratchaprasong Intersection is one of the busiest in the city, and a brilliant sign hanging over the traffic wished shoppers and motorists a very happy 2022. |
Siam Paragon
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| Siam Paragon is always a fantastic place to visit at Christmastime. This year, a star-shaped tunnel of lights illuminated the walkway outside of the luxury shopping mall. |
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| Siam Paragon, too, had a large and beautiful Christmas tree. |
Siam Discovery
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| And nearby Siam Discovery was lit up with funky modern balloons encouraging everyone to smile. It's always nice to end the year on a happy and positive note! |
Happy New Year, everyone!
This year's Year-In-Review post is in the works, and will be out soon.
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