Christmas, Sort of.

If you've read some of the other postings I just added, you can understand why Christmas isn't exactly Christmas in Qatar.  We don't suffer in any way--church services (including midnight Mass), a few supplies, and no shortage of shopping combine with things like Skype and international shipping to fully facilitate a holiday season.

And having John's parents here has been a God-send on so many levels--without them, this would really seem much more like "another Saturday."  The weather is mild, everything is open as normal, very few Christmas lights and no music are to be seen/heard outside of one's own house.  No Christmas circulars or shopping or lines for Santa in the mall.  No Christmas advent service at our home church in Calvert (which has truly become my most favorite thing of the season--until you've heard the Calvert Mass Choir sing "Go Tell It on the Mountain," Christmas is NOT OFFICIAL).  You can "make" Christmas happen here, but that's just it--the making is a tremendous effort.  There's very little "spirit" to infect you.  It's a significant effort.

On the bright side, none of that pressure is here either--no Black Friday.  No spend, spend, spend frenzy.  The kids didn't get their yearly dose of "Christmas Crack" (bizarre, wild behavior that seems like a drug-induced frenzy) until yesterday.   

Here are a few photos from inside our house--where even though it feels nothing like Christmas, I'm still making a concerted effort. The kids may be adding this to their list of "things to discuss with my therapist as I work through all the ways my Mother screwed up my life."  After all, if they're going to pay for therapy, I want them to get their money's worth.

The antique Christmas tree brought from Texas.  No, I can't plug it in, but it makes me happy anyway. The Fisher Price advent calendar that I bought back in October (along with a GeoTrax Christmas train and a Little People Christmas Village...trivia question for the moment: How much do two boxes of toys, weighing 13.7 and 17.1 pounds each, cost to ship from New York to Qatar?  Answer: $187.45 USD...that is JUST THE SHIPPING COST.  But yes, I did it. And the stuff made me smile.  Add it to the therapist's list).

Our Christmas tree.  No lights--instead, fiber optics that make the ends of all the branches light up.  I think this cost about $14.99.  That's it decorated on a table in our living room.  Yes, it is leaning heavily to the right.  I tend toward the Charlie Brown Christmas approach to trees and pumpkins.

This is the wrapping paper that we used.  No, it it not Christmas paper. It is WEDDING PAPER.  With a Biblical quote from Matthew on it. Because guess what? THERE'S NO CHRISTMAS WRAPPING PAPER IN QATAR.  Well, actually, I found some at a British department store (Marks and Spencer) on Christmas Eve.  But NO BOWS.  Unless you pay $2 per tiny miniature bow at the Japanese $2 Store, which I did not.  It was a BOW-FREE WEDDING PAPER Christmas.  Add that to the list for the therapist.

But the stockings.  The silk stockings from Bombay Silk.  These are EPIC.  The owners, from left to right are Jack, John, Nancy, Hank, Hannah, Bob, and Pat.  This picture doesn't capture the colors very well.

This is a bouquet of cuttings that Guru, a Nepalese gentleman who makes our yard beautiful, brought me on the night of the 23rd.  It smells as good as it looks, too.  This made my Christmas extra special, as did the carolers that came by on Christmas Eve and gave us a dose of Silent Night.

Guess what else they don't have in Doha?  Anything silk resembling poinsettias, holly, pine, or other Christmas greenery.    I found this little vine wreath (the base) at one store, and then Pat helped me find and visualize the decorations.  She then put it together, and it turned out to be so pretty.

A little wooden Santa in the pot plant complements the wreath, and the Santa wind sock (thank you, Mimi!) completes the front door decorations.  Other villas in our compound have more decorations, and I now admire the tenacity, planning, and hauling-back from home countries that must take place for anything beyond the most basic.

Regardless of Christmas magic feeling, I am still thankful and reflective regarding the full and blessed life we lead.  Family is the most important, and we are especially blessed in that department as well as other areas, too.