Out and About in Dubai

I was a little worried that there wouldn’t be any Christmas decorations in Dubai considering that I am in Muslim country. However, all fears were put to rest when I saw how decked out the hotels, malls, and many public areas were. Granted, some places didn’t even primp their fake trees properly (think kitsch) but most hotels were decorated fabulously:

But as I experienced in Miami as well as in Puerto Rico, Christmas just doesn’t feel like Christmas unless it’s cold and nippy. And DB is in agreement with this. And for the first time in DB’s life, he has a fake xmas trees in the house. I grew up with fake xmas trees so not a big deal for me but DB had always insisted on a real live tree. Well, that’s not always feasible in Dubai as (1) if you get your tree too early, it’s dead by xmas time and (2) if you get your tree to late, it’s slim pickings (think Charlie Brown) and (3) in most places here, you order and purchase your tree ahead of time and then pick it up later so you don’t get to choose that “perfect” tree. Well, we’re on the cheap this year so here is our fake pine tree, bought on xmas eve @ 50% off and with last year’s ornaments hung from paperclips stolen from the office:

We spent a lovely xmas eve with the family of DB’s colleague eating tons of fin de claire oysters (yum!), roasted capon (a castrated rooster - more tender, juicy, flavorful, and larger than regular chicken), and champers and wine:

MERRY XMAS!!

Tags: holiday