The understanding of Christmas isn’t very deep in Cambodian society and most outward signs of the season are commercially driven and geared toward children.
Every neighborhood will have several shops selling Santa suits for primary school children.Most schools in Cambodia are commercial, that is, they are private schools not associated with the government and also basically uncontrolled by the government. Anyone can start a school and many people do to make money. If you have at least one foreign teacher–or even if one of your teachers knows some English–you can call it an international school which has great cachet for the parents. And then if you’re selling the foreign ideas, you have to celebrate things like Christmas so that creates the market for these Santa outfits.This is where the Santa outfits end up, on the kids participating in a Christmas program and knowing next to nothing about the meaning of Christmas.
