The Christmas spirit was in abundance at the Pattaya City Expats Club (PCEC) at their meeting on Sunday, December 22, as members and guests enjoyed a morning of Christmas songs by children from the Pattaya Children’s Orphanage and later singing of Christmas Carols by members of the audience.
Before the program started, Santa (Member Bob Bisighini) was available for children and young at heart to have their photos taken with him. After the MC gave some brief club announcements, the club welcomed the arrival of more than 50 children from the orphanage all dressed in Christmas attire. One of the children, who had grown up in the orphanage, trained the children to sing a number of Christmas songs, accompanied with musical instruments and bells.
Children from 2-5 did their part to entertain the audience with their uninhibited presence, standing or sitting on the edge of the stage, keeping time with the music, jingling the bells on their caps and occasionally hip bumping others in their group. With their angelic voices, the children sang several traditional Christmas Carols beginning with Jingle Bells and concluding with We Wish You a Merry Christmas to the delight of their PCEC audience.
Upon conclusion, Santa again appeared to give out presents to the children as they left the stage. For the past month or two, members and guests were invited to contribute to the Children Christmas Present Fund organized by Judith Edmonds to purchase and, with the assistance of husband Les Edmonds and member Evelyne Wachteneim, to wrap the gift packages. About 45,000 baht was collected with 20,300 used to purchase the gifts and the remainder given as a donation to the orphanage directed by Father Michael. The singing is one way of thanking the community. Also, Paul from the orphanage invited members of the audience to come to dinner at the orphanage on Christmas Day, which is always a unique and rewarding experience.
Following the departure of the children, Wendy and John Khan, Chris Harman, and Ray Lightbown from the Pattaya Players led audience members in a sing-a-long of Christmas Carols. Beginning with Deck the Halls and ending with the 12 Days of Christmas. Lyrics were displayed on the three meeting room screens to help the audience follow along. For the final song, tables had been designated for each of the 12 days. As each verse was sung, the members and guests at the table stood and enthusiastically sang out the words associated for their day of the 12 days. With Expat members away from home and many from other countries, the PCEC’s annual Christmas Program is a time of nostalgia for many.
The program was followed with the usual Open Forum when members and guests can ask and answer questions or make comments about Expat living in Thailand, especially Pattaya. For information on PCEC activities, visit their website at http://pattayacityexpatsclub.com/.
