Dubai: Expatriates who are living alone or who can’t fly home to be with their family this Christmas will use the holidays to reflect on the true meaning of the season or plan to make it up to their family when they can.
As with many special occasions, Christmas is best celebrated with family and friends.
But for those who don’t have this option, technology and alone time are a good alternative. For others, work helps kill loneliness to an extent.
For Dr Jiji Jacob, celebrations with family will have to wait until after New Year as duty calls. “It’s my first time to be absolutely alone at Christmas time,” Dr Jacob, a radiologist based in Sharjah, told Gulf News. “Because of leave issues, it’s difficult for me to travel now. Our department needs support. Some of us have to be around for the holidays.”
Dr Jacob said he and his family usually attend the evening mass on Christmas eve before going out for parties with family and friends. This time, he said he’ll attend mass and mark the holiday with colleagues.
“What I will miss the most is my wife and three kids who are in Canada right now. What makes Christmas special is still family. I’ll fly out after the New Year to be with them.”
Though her family is not here, Carina Herrera’s Christmas will still be worthwhile as she will be celebrating it with members of her church. This is her second Christmas in Dubai away from her three-year-old daughter and husband in the Philippines.
“Having your church family with you helps beat homesickness. You have emotional and spiritual support,” Herrera said, adding that she will just have a “Skype Christmas” with her family.
The Filipina planning engineer said Christmas is the best time for personal reflection.
“Sometimes we tend to get lost in the preparations for the celebration. So my aim this Christmas is to meditate on the true essence of Christmas — the birth of Jesus Christ our saviour who is the real reason for the season.”
Expats also plan busy yuletide season
Western expatriates have full schedules planned to celebrate Christmas holidays.
Noor Nanji, a UK expatriate who moved from London earlier this year and now lives in Dubai, said she is doing her best to enjoy her first Christmas in the UAE.
“This is my first Christmas in Dubai and I did find myself reminiscing over many things from back home. I never thought I’d ever say this, but what I miss most of all is the cold,” said Nanji. “There’s something about Christmas that involves wrapping up in as many layers as you can, drinking hot chocolate and sitting by a fire to stay warm. It’s slightly odd to experience the magic of Christmas sitting on a deck chair by the pool... but there’s a first time for everything.”
Nanji said she has attended a number of Dubai holiday events and looks forward to joining friends over a Christmas luncheon this weekend.
“I’ve attended a few carol events in the past week in Dubai, but let’s be honest — nothing beats going to St Paul’s Cathedral for midnight mass on Christmas eve. Of course, I’ll miss my family too — but I have a wonderful set of friends in Dubai who will all be getting together on the 25th, to cook an amazing Christmas lunch and enjoy the day together.”
Nanji said Dubai’s welcoming society has made the transition easier from the UK.
“That’s one thing I love about Dubai — it’s such a transient place, but everyone always makes time for newcomers and makes you feel at home,” she said. “Christmas in Dubai may not have the traditional British touch that I’ve grown up with, but it’s still not a bad place to spend the festive season.”
American expatriate living in the UAE Dr Steven Anderson, 57, lauded the UAE as a great place to live but, like many expats, decided this Christmas to jet off to colder climes in Europe to celebrate a more traditional holiday.
“I have flown off to visit friends in the beautiful city of Budapest, Hungary. Many American and British friends of mine meet here for the holidays. The spirit of Christmas is in the air, all over the streets, with festive occasions daily, including the Opera showing the Nutcracker,” Anderson said.
