Have you ever stopped to wonder how it is that the whole world loves Christmas?

Christmas is perhaps the whole world's first global holiday. Americans may not be aware, but even when I lived in Japan from 1984-89, they had commercialized the delight of it already. Today, here in Thailand? They've been playing Christmas songs in their equivalents of Walmart, Target, and Costco since mid November. I want to hate it but it's rather remarkable and slightly touching. Thai people see that you're farang and wish you meawy cwismaa. Bless their hearts.

Here you have a 90%+ Buddhist country, which has nothing to do with an afterlife but rather, how you actually live your life here, under the justice of Karma. They have innumerable Buddhist holidays throughout a year, but none are big deals, really. They aren't commercialized. There's something to buy, for sure, but to do that, you have to pay a visit to your local temple to show your respects.

Are we over that "Happy Holidays" bullshit, yet?