Create Christmas cheer right here

You won't be roasting marshmallows over a roaring fire in the hearth of your home; Santa Claus definitely won't be scrambling down your chimney and there,ll be no red robin chirping a Bing Crosby medley outside your bedroom window. There'll be no snow angels, no snowmen and no snowball fights, in fact, there'll be no snow.

The prospects for expatriates in the UAE trying to recreate Christmas as we've come to know it back home, may have appeared rather dismal. Christmas is stripped bare losing meaning and magic. Or has it? Rudolph, the red robin and roasted chestnuts — what did they have to do with Christmas anyway?

Here are some basic tips on how to put the festivity back into the season, UAE-style.

First step, you'll need a tree. Couldn't do away with the tree — where would all the presents go? With the tree comes the mammoth task of decoration. Getting the tree décor right may seem easy but well-decorated Christmas trees are far and few in between. There is no how-to manual to decorating your tree. Colours, textures, shapes, and lights — the bigger the tree, the trickier the job.

Start by using your imagination to create a theatrical festive centrepiece in your home. In keeping with the glitter and glamour of Dubai, you could create a Christmas tree de-lux.

Lace your evergreen in decadence and drama. Incorporate lush velvet bows, gold and silver baubles, crystal angels all strung together with thick ribbons and faux-pearls. Don't forget to add an array of lights: candle lights and tree lights. And if you feel like really living it up, throw in a 1970s, disco ball for extra glamour and bling. This is surely one way to dust the cobwebs off any archaic and stagnant notions you might have gathered about Christmas over the years.

On the other hand, Christmas can be a busy period, leaving you no time to invest in a lavish and luscious tree. When time is not readily at your disposal then consider a simple and elegant décor.

Choose two or three colours that work well together and just stick to a couple of objects — stars, bells and an angel — evenly hang them around the tree. For an elegantly decorated tree, less is definitely more.

Whichever style floats your boat, Total Home Experience (THE) One Christmas Shop in Dubai, is a great place to get started. The UAE born and bred interior décor store boasts a plethora of "wicked" ideas for your home during this period.
Their mission statement reads like something out of a modern-day rendition of the Frog and the Princess: "To save the world…to become the funkiest, sexiest, most caring home fashion brand on the planet".

The self-professed style nomads behind THE One have scoured the globe to bring you a host of unique furniture, home accessories, music and culinary delight to help you create a modern, magical and meaningful holiday season in the UAE.

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. The shopping-fest to end all shopping-fests, Christmas often comes with bags of stress that can leave you wondering what all the fuss is about.

It's certainly not just about a tree, no matter how fabulous it looks. No, to get to the heart of the matter you'll have to look at the base of the tree. Christmas is about giving and receiving: it,s the lavish and free-flowing transaction of love and kindness. Christmas is not about a tree but a tree can be a poignant symbol of the generous and benevolent spirit of the season.

Cakes: Wickedly delicious!

THE One is taking orders for a selection of "wicked" Christmas cakes:

Irresistible Irish Cream Mousse Cake
Luscious Lemon Meringue Pie
Mischievous Minty Choco-Truffle Cake
Devilish Double Chocolate
Torte topped with a Blueberry Soufflé
Fabulously Festive Fruit Cake
Wicked White Velvet Cheesecake
Tropical Tease Fruit Cake
Charmed Choco-Caramel Mud Cake with
Cherry and Coconut Icing
Provocative Pumpkin Tiramisu
‘Forbidden Fruit, Apple Pie
Naughty but Nice Mince Pies
Seductive Mascarpone Mince Pies