Merry & Happy Everything!

Merry & Happy Everything pretty much sums up the holiday season here!  Dubai is a melting pot of cultures and religions with people from all over the world!  Dubai has opened it's arms to everyone and celebrates everything!  It seems like Dubai is always celebrating something: whether it's UAE National Day on December 2nd (The UAE was formed in 1971 and just turned 43!), the Christmas holiday season, Happy Kwanzaa, New Years Eve, and they have even dedicated the entire month of January for the "Dubai Shopping Festival!"  I feel like Dubai gets even more into the Christmas spirit with every year.  Hotels, shops and restaurants are decorated to the nines, Christmas music is played on the radio and throughout the grocery stores, the schools have a "Winter Holiday Concert" with Christmas music and everyone wishes you a Merry Christmas, even if they don't celebrate Christmas.  It's not home, but Dubai is not a bad place to be during the holidays :)

CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES AROUND DUBAI

 Photo with Santa at Hamley's toy shop in the Dubai Mall

 Followed by the dancing Hamley's bear and a marching band playing Christmas carols

 A unique Christmas gift called "A gift from Arabia"

 Cash & Jake snuggled inside a fury stiletto outside the designer shoe section of the Dubai Mall

Christmas carolers attempting their best at Jingle Bells just outside the Louis Vuitton shop ;)

 Mason and his buddy, Rohan, at their school Holiday Concert

 There is always a parent/kid dance after their performance

 I tried my best to get into the Christmas spirit, so I made my MaMa Nelson's infamous sugar cookies and let the kids decorate them! (Erin, Emily, Cash & Jake)

Caroline and I took the kids to a Christmas performance on the ice-skating rink at the Dubai Mall (Cash, Shyla & Jake)

OUR CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS DAY!

 Caroline and Bhupat fixed a fabulous Christmas Eve dinner 

(Jake, Cash, Emily, Erin, Edith & Shyla)

 Nothing like a little iPad time at the end of the night

 Apartment living helps us keep things simple with our little tree and a few presents from Santa!

 Christmas morning: Cash and Mason love to sleep in the same bed and Jake is perfectly content to sleep in his own bed!

 Mason playing Madden on his new Playstation 

 A complete set of Baseball cards

 And football cards, including Johnny Manziel's rookie card

 Dr. Jake with his new medical kit

 The boys are learning to play the Batman game

 Now it's the twins' turn

Aggie Football Guys

 Christmas Lunch at the Meydan hotel (Erin, Emily, Cash & Jake)

 Jake discovered the ice cream!

 Yummy!

 Christmas music sang by the Philippino carolers 

 No Christmas brunch is complete without a bounce house

 Not everyone was thrilled about the photo op in Santa's sled ;)

 Our good friends the Franco's were also there!

Face painting and lollipops!  Now the day is complete!