Dubai: Donning Christmas hats while holding a megaphone and other musical instruments in their tiny hands, a group of schoolchildren went on a mission to spread Christmas cheer in their community.
Marching down the sidewalk of the Victory Heights community in Dubai Sports City on Thursday, the 12 children sang Christmas carols and called out other residents to join them in the small festivity.
“I wanted to do something like this because everybody was so busy that they did not notice the need for some Christmas cheer. It was a way to encourage people to spread joy among others and share their feelings with their neighbours,” said 11-year-old Gulmehek Khan from Canada, who came up with the idea of the initiative herself.
Khan, who goes to Nord Anglia International School Dubai, and her peers said they wanted to make those who are away from their families feel at home during the Christmas holiday. Chocolates were also distributed to residents.
“This is the first time something like this was done here, even though I’ve done it so many times before when we lived in Canada, It was pretty exciting for all of us.”
The event witnessed a huge response from community members, said Naureen Khan, mother of Gulmehek Khan. It reflected the tolerance and coexistence that exist among expats living in the UAE.
“As people started hearing them sing, they came out of their homes and sang along with them. I think it was a great idea to carry out something like this, as my daughter had seen the need for a human touch to the celebration and wanted to spread joy to everybody.”
She also said that many residents had cancelled their plans to go out so they did not miss out on the tour.
Jack Brooksbank, a 12-year-old British boy who was part of the group, said he has been raised in Dubai and never done anything similar to this before.
“I think there isn’t enough cheer around here during Christmas, and more people should be out celebrating and singing on this day. This is why I decided to join, and I also love singing,” he said.
The activity lasted for two hours and covered almost 100 villas of the community, according to Khan’s mother. Parents supervised their children as they walked around the area to ensure their safety.
“The community’s management were very happy with the idea and decided to arrange a performance on Saturday at the park, which will be performed by all 12 of them. An email was sent out to everybody in the community to join,” said Naureen Khan.
The children said they would like to make it an annual event at the Victory Heights.
