Our first Christmas tree

Y and I got our very first Christmas tree this year, a thousand thanks to Wan Yen.

As we were putting it up together, I realised that decorating a Christmas tree is one of those things that sort of get ingrained in you, especially if you, like me, grew up with a Christmas tree most years. And it isn’t until you’re married and attempting to put one up with your husband that you realise that everyone does it slightly differently, and everyone comes with preconceived notions – or lack thereof – of how it should be done.

People ask all sorts of questions before they get married to each other: life goals, family plans, likes and dislikes. You think you know a person, but really, until the occasion arises, you’ve never asked what they usually eat for reunion dinner on Chinese New Year’s eve, how they decorate their Christmas trees and what their Christmas lunch entails.

It’s only when the time comes, in our case three years into our marriage, that I realise Y doesn’t really know how to put up a Christmas tree. And I am reminded afresh that we are actually two different people from two different backgrounds coming together to make a new life.

I am reminded that we have different habits, different traditions and different memories of the same celebrations. It’s kind of cool, the fact that I am reminded of this and the fact that we’re making new traditions together. Not that I have decided if an annual Christmas tree is going to be our tradition. We’ll see.