I really didn’t know what to expect for the Christmas season in Abu Dhabi. I was pleasantly surprised to see a decorated tree in the Hilton lobby. Our hotel is Muslim owned and serves no alcohol, so I figured the season would go unnoticed. Then I saw “snowy” Santalands at the malls and huge gorgeous trees at the fancier hotels. It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas! It wasn’t until I heard my first carol at the supermarket that it dawned on me, “Christmas day was a week away!!” I was with several of my friends and we were all shocked that the season was almost over. We hadn’t even bought our husbands any gifts yet! Since in the US you can find Christmas stuff before Halloween, we been trained to know that when we see the first tree and hear the first carol, Christmas Day is still weeks away. The general mood was sad. We all missed our families and our Christmas decorations. So, we banned together to celebrate. The girls and I had a Secret Santa lunch and got together to watch Elf. Angela had a Christmas Eve BBQ and Patty hosted a Christmas Day party with a white elephant gift exchange and a Louisiana Southern Boil. We pulled together our Christmas decorations and brought them to each house to add to the ambiance. A close friend baked us Christmas cookies! I did my part to bring the spirit, by dressing up as Santa Claus. I don’t know if it was the big belly, but I received many compliments! I even got one a couple of days ago from a Hilton staff member who had seen me walking by! Overall, we were surrounded by love. Michael had a four day weekend because of Islamic New Year falling on December 28th, so we relaxed and enjoyed the time. I think my Christmas miracle came when we were walking to our favorite sushi spot. We passed one of the other hotels and I heard children singing inside. I walked in and saw the most diverse group of little faces I have ever seen, singing Christmas carols. They were all dressed in red and white and so cute, I couldn’t help but shed a tear. The spirit was really here!
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1 comment:
Sharmini - I love the santa suit! Your blog is fantastic and fascinating...thanks for sharing.
How's your pregnancy coming along? You look fantastic! I think pregnant people either look beautiful or swollen and not so attractive. You definitely fall under the first category...you look great.
Lots of love,
Donna
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