Anyway, I didn't know what to expect really. We were setting a photo-shoot for our family photo. Mum wants it and hell, if all of us are dressing up for this special occasion, definitely there is a need for a photo-shoot since our whole family is here. Thats done and off we go to Majestic Hotel to have our dinner. Coming to the place, the entrance was huge. Christmas tree was tall, everything was either gold or marble. First thing came into mind, formal and grand. We were suppose to go for the buffet but we went for fine dinning instead. I was just amazed by how grand it was. Then we went upstairs to go the restaurant and to our table. The walkways are just i-dont-know why but you have different rooms for different things and each room which makes it beautiful. It's like you have this room for this kind of gathering and you have another room thats for meeting, it's just nice. Anyway coming to our restaurant, first thing came to mind, British. The colours was gold and candle lighted colour atmosphere with lots of halo and bright lights with a dim nature. Dim is the room with many white dressed uniform waiters and waitresses walking around serving people and holding onto the golden trays with a layer of white plates stack against each other properly. A waitress came to us, showed us to our table and another waitress came to showed us to our seats and the menu. Described to us what is happening like we are amateurs. Not a bad thing, just everything is treated to detailed.
All of us sat down. I was just amazed, gasping for some air and just eyes-wide-open with the eagerness to explore and just wanting to know more about the place. I couldn't settle myself in my seat, just wondering what's all this about and how come this is just so grand. When I meant about grand, it's the formality that we come into as a family. The place is the difference. When you have gold coloured and everything is either shinny or dim yellow, and especially when you have people dressing up formally to serve you, these things I tell you is the grand that i'm talking about. The space is grand. The design is grand. It's my first time coming to this place everyone came before for my cousin's wedding. It was a great idea my mum thought of us since she found out about this place when she was having high tea with her friends and so that was it. We used to have our Christmas celebrations at my cousin's place but this year no more. When friends come into place and not entirely just family, that became the difference. Still remember how it was years ago when we was celebrating. I love that year when I spend my Christmas at Joel's. He roasted that turkey and all of us just ate together at a table and it was all so good. I remember his grandparents was still here and it was just so nice. It makes me sad when they passed away. I'm just glad that i get to have that Christmas dinner with them. It was a memorable memory. Well other years, there's much joy celebrating Christmas, unboxing presents, singing Christmas songs together, every year there was something to remember. But last year was different, things changed and that closeness wasn't there anymore. So this year, we're trying something different and well since we never really get together as a family for Christmas, this was the chance and this was the year.
Sitting down, everyone laughed at my amazement towards this grand and formal fine dining dinner. I was the hyper one that night. I had to. To bring the family together, to let them come into conversation, I was trying my best. I know that they wouldn't so I tried. At least it wasn't a burden for me that night, it was a good feeling because I love this gatherings. So the unsettled me just went on to describe how different it is, my heart was just without comment. I could not describe my feelings at that time. And to ask whether do I like this. I can say no, because I prefer to usual 10 ringgit dinner, mum's cooking, ordering dishes with rice dinner is so much better. Yes, because it is fancy and everything is so high-classed. To be honest, the service is considered quite bad that night. I couldn't come to complain because I, myself was at struggle to know which fork and knife to use first. These dining table etiquette I tell you, is just so stressful. At first the bread, you're not suppose to use any fork to cut it. You have the butter knife that's it and guess what, you actually have to use your hand to eat it! Ah, wonderful, a profound fact! I thought that you have to eat it with a knife or something, but no, you can just eat it with your hand, in fine dinning! stunning. Anyway, the dishes came out so slow, one by one, literally it was an hour a dish. It was around 9 to 10 and we still haven't got to our main dish.
We were talking about how our conversations on the things we used to eat usually is the ones that we would laugh over and not the high class meals. I guess this also have to do with the formality of the dishes. Like a simple fried rice, the way we call it, the way we eat it is so different from eating a steak. The different class of people, food and place. Eating at a high class restaurant, being a middle class family who usually eat food of the 'ordinary' people talking about the the 'ordinary' would be different towards saying eating at a 'ordinary' restaurant, being a lower middle class family talking about high class food. If you know what i'm saying. Not to forget, the music really sets the tone for the 'grand'. Jazz christmas music is playing with the old antique mic and a long stand. A lady dressed in golden swinging her hips from side to side and you see her holding her hands up to touching the notes and guiding her voice to the sound of the music singing towards the mic. A three man band with and elder man playing the drums with brush sticks and a younger man playing the double bass and a lady playing the piano as they came up to a melody of a jazzy swing music Christmas, it definitely made the ambiance of the place rather classy. I wouldn't be surprised that silence would also give the classy feeling and with the sound of table spoons and fork and knife cling towards the plates. You get the picture. The dinner was long and only until 12 we went back home. It was surprisingly fulfilling. The food was good. The music was good i mean really it was good with the swinging sensation, just the singing. Company was great. It was a great night.
But it wasn't the Christmas i'm expecting. It wasn't the right feel to it. I find Christmas is more joyful, not exactly formal, filled with lights and turkey, Christmas trees and presents under the tree, family dinner filled with plates of delicious food and just really really joyful Christmas songs playing on the CD player, and everybody is gathered around the table eating and just having nice conversations, that's what I called Christmas. But this formality that we come into, the need for etiquette and the soft mellow jazz swing and soft Christmas is sung. Mind you, the lady who is standing singing isn't really good at singing actually. She sung like it was meant to go out of tune or the need to go overboard with her voice anyway, it was pitchy and just not singing material especially Christmas? You have to be joking. Anyway that's been done, and the tone has been set. The main thing is the family. Leanne was there, after 2 weeks she's still hesitant for me to touch her, to hold her, to give her something, to hold my hand, it's so sad. I missed her birthday and now she's being like that, only time can wait. I think all of us had a good time. I did make everyone laugh, did I? My brothers and me, we were joking around and smiling at each other jokes, i'm being the victim sometimes is what makes everyone smiling. Dad was ignored sometimes but saw him laughing at times, i think he was happy too. Mum was just sitting beside me, she was also putting her input too and she's smiling. She planned this dinner, she made this happen, need to thank her to be able to gather us together for this dinner. Both sisters in law are quiet, you can understand but I find them smiling too. Just that one is with the phone the whole time, one with the baby, a necessary distraction to cut down the awkwardness, I don't blame, in this family, I can understand why too. I guess we can't go too far with conversations. Just those nostalgic, memorable moments we can talk about that can make us laugh and have a good time. Also those things we find funny, weird or just the stupid things that we just laugh about it. I think that's more than enough really.
I could not elaborate more about our Christmas dinner. It was really nice and the main thing was to be able to have this family to get together and hardly we ever can since i'm in Melbourne studying and both my brothers are in different cities. I find the others doesn't really matter, the music, the fine dining, the Christmas atmosphere. Maybe next year, we can try something different. A home dinner would be nice too. Next day on Christmas day, a day well spent in church, Wilson always tells me I have this after church feeling where I get all high and that's good. I mean church, yes, it gets you pumped up no? And then there was me and my parents and wilson's family, we met up for lunch after that and that was good. Well, overall, Christmas was the one to remember, I had fun and hope everyone had fun too. Because it's Christmas, and nothing is more important the gathering of family or even just your family. I don't think it was the exact day Christ was born, for me I think Easter was more important but then if it's true, and it's been a day set to rejoice His birth, so it's great to have ourselves involved in church on that day because listening to the sermon and understanding what Christmas is all about. For me, it's all about family and gatherings. There's always something to look forward to next year.
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