Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas time!

My family received a lovely gift hamper from Mandarin Oriental, filled with chocolate truffles, gingerbread cookies, and a huge chocolate boot, among other things, but what really got me jumping was a bundle of fresh vanilla beans! The aroma was absolutely heavenly, and seeped through the multiple layers of clingfilm they'd been wrapped in. I have now sequestered them, and am already contemplating whether to grind them up to add to scrubs, or to infuse them for a lovely vanilla-scented oil.

Other than that I've received a grand total of two presents, which may seem somewhat measly, but now that I'm reflecting on how I've spent the last few days, I find it amusing that we Malaysians generally don't give or expect many gifts; we hold open houses instead.

I love attending open houses. Open houses in Malaysia, for those who aren't familiar with the concept, are often held during festive seasons; the hosting household provides food - usually buffet-style - and hospitality (and sometimes alcohol, for non-muslim households), and invitations are sent to friends and families.

We have open houses for just about every festive season - Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya, Christmas, and sometimes even New Year. Since open houses are generally voluntary, the hosts usually go all out to ensure that there is an abundance of excellent food and that all the guests are having a good time - always a good thing in my books.

That said, on a side note I've given my father one of our Just Lavender soaps, accompanied by a lovely wooden soap dish for Christmas. I even took the trouble to wrap it with a festive ice-blue sparkly ribbon, though it probably won't win any craft awards, given my retarded papercraft skills. Any beautiful papercraft items you see (envelopes, handmade cards, etc) by Chamomile Labs is a testament to Michelle's skill, not mine. I'm just the graphic designer.

To those who purchased our Christmas gift packs, thank you! We're unbelievably pleased that the number of gift packs sold far exceeded our expectations - Michelle's had to make some emergency trips to purchase more gift pack boxes, but it's all good!

We're planning some Chinese New Year gift baskets, so stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Cheers,
Amber