Christmas in the Sandbox

Obviously we were up against many uncertainties by moving to the Sandbox. The list is too long to count. But one worth mentioning is Christmas. We had no idea what to expect. Would we have a Christmas Tree? Decorations? Gifts? Does Santa come to the UAE?

We got our answer in early October. With Halloween decorations on the shelves, the Christmas decorations went on display at Ace Hardware. Soon after, they could be seen country wide.

No PC police and no Happy Holidays. It's Merry Christmas everywhere you look.

Now this tree might not seem like much. But to us... It's Beautiful!!! We could give Charlie Brown a run for his money...

On Christmas Eve, we went to a candle light service at Al Dhafra Air Force Base. Brigadier General Quintas and the men and women of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing have been a major blessing to us. God bless them and their families for their service.

That's General Quintas (aka Santa Claus) and his trusty reindeer Rudolph on the flight line at Al Dhafra. You gotta love the Air Force!

It was touch and go as to whether or not we would have pumpkin pie this Christmas. Pumpkin pie mix is awfully hard to come by in the sandbox. After going to 7 grocery stores, our persistence finally paid off. BINGO!

Oddly enough, we went to the bank on Christmas morning. It's a long story, and we won't bore you with the details. But sometimes here in Abu Dhabi, you just have to be unconventional. So we had a meeting with our banker on Christmas morning...

After our bank meeting, we treated ourselves to a cappuccino. Not just any cappuccino though... This one was garnished with 24K gold flakes. Not kidding! 

It was quite yummy!

A Christmas selfie at the Emirates Palace Hotel, drinking cappuccino with gold flakes. Only in Abu Dhabi.

This year's Christmas card list was a bit shorter given the logistical difficulties of living half way around the world. If you didn't see it, you can check it out below. We had so much fun with this one. We have heard from some that they didn't understand the card. If you find yourself in that category, google The Beatles Abbey Road. That should clear things up...

Our Christmas present finally came one week into the new year. Santa brought us a slay of our very own. Of course we had to get it a little dusty. And of course there were camels.

It was certainly difficult being away from our family and friends during this time of year. Understatement of the year... But we are blessed beyond measure, and this Christmas will not soon be forgotten.

We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! As-salamu alaykum y'all.