This article was originally posted on WomenLearnThai.com.
Shopping for Xmas cards in Thailand…
There isn’t much choice for holiday cards in Thailand. Not if you want to keep away from Hallmarks!
There are some fairly dull cards created with photos of Thai murals or such. And you can sometimes find quite ok Thai cards, but not always. This year’s pickings were noticeably thinner than the last.
Handmade cards by Jaab are another solution to your Thai Xmas card dilemma.
They are not cheap, but a percentage of the proceeds go to the Breast Cancer Outreach Project, so there is that. And being of Thai Mulberry paper, they do have a lovely texture to them.
Jaab is Thai slang for cool.
Thai-language.com: จ๊าบ (jáap) [an informal interjection and transient Thai slang used to express interest or excitement] “(You look) sharp (or spiffy or spruce)!”; “Cool!” From the English adjective sharp.
I chose the two sets shown above, so if you are getting Xmas card from me – hi guys! – no surprises for you this year 😉
Anyway, you have just enough time to order sets of your own. Or, just drop by Siam Paragon in Bangkok. The cards can be found next to the Gourmet Market.
Josh, I came across the same problem when I lived in a muslim country. We settled it by buying cards with ‘Seasons Greetings’ as the main theme. That way, the Chinese were covered too. While Hari Raya sort of floats around, Chinese New Year is right around the western holiday time too (January).
These are great, Catherine. I wish I had seen them before getting holiday cards. It’s hard for me (raised as a Jew) and my wife (a Thai Buddhist) to find generic holiday cards to send to our friends and family, and these look perfect. The website has been bookmarked and I’ll be ordering some for the next holiday.
Agreed. Not many do celebrate it out here (just the expats, and most of the expats I know go home for the holidays).
Kidding around. I asked my taxi driver what he did for Xmas.
Khun Pisout, do you celebrate Xmas? Do you have turkey?
No.
No turkey? No cranberries?
No.
No fruitcake?
No.
No eggnog? No whisky?
YES! I have whisky at Christmas.
Black Label is ok, and Red Label too!
So then we got into a conversation about the attributes of whisky. How much. And how too much whisky can take away your job, your house, and your wife.
We went on from there to wives and girlfriends. Wife number one, two, three, four…
He’s such a kidder.
I think the cards would be great to send to loved ones back home…but I don’t see the point of having Christmas cards in Thailand when less than 1% of the populations celebrates it.
I guess you can call me Mr. Scrooge….Christmas in Thailand…Bah Humbug.
Martyn, I also love traditional Xmas cards, but that is not what my friends expect from me. They experience snow covered villages where they are, but they dream of elephants and sun and warm days. So that is what I send. Or try to, anyway. Last year the cards I sent were Thai exotic, but they are no longer at Paragon.
Maybe next year I will design my own. I used to do it yaks ages ago. Back when time moved a lot slower than it does now. I’d love to try my hand at using all of the golds and swirls and… and… it’d be grand fun.
Jaab-er dabber do, Christmas is nearly here.
Xmas cards in Thailand are a drab affair to say the least. The ones at the top of your post are in my opinion very bland at best but I’m sure the quality is very good. On a second look then perhaps the middle one is not too bad with the Christmas tree giving a little seasonal feel.
I solved the problem years back by bringing cards from the UK with me. Rudolph and Santa, country villages covered in snow. I love traditional Christmas cards, they really get you in the mood. I also think you can’t beat a good version of Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol in movie form to really stoke up the embers in your heart. Then again the sun and smiles of Thailand are unbeatable too.
Amy, the cards are blank on the inside, so you do not have to write around a generic message. There are smaller sizes too, but I wanted cards large enough to avoid getting lost along the way.
(I just hope I have time to post them all… I am sooooooo bad about getting cards out)
Those are really cute! I used to get the Nancy Chandler ones or ones with traditional Thai paintings on the outside with a generic Christmas greeting in English and in Thai on the inside.
Are the cards from Jaab blank on the inside?
There are several vendors in Chiang Mai’s Sunday market selling tasteful, simple saa paper Christmas cards for 15-20 baht. they feature all the usual symbols and don’t look Thai apart from the material. I don’t have a photo and I don’t send cards but I always admire them a lot. (one of the sellers is my colleague)
I haven’t been to Chiang Mai for awhile, but I’ll check once I’m up there again.
I only send Xmas cards to a group of design friends. The forum we met at faded away, but we’ve all remained close friends.