Festive spirit helps expats feel at home in UAE

Abu Dhabi: "I dreaded Christmas this year because I had to spend it in the UAE. But I found out how wrong I was", said Bianca Handel, an expatriate who is spending her first Christmas in the country.

For Handel, who works at a German law firm, Christmas is like a month-long celebration.

"I thought I would miss out on a lot. [But] Thanks to the UAE authorities for their tolerance of all religions and cultures, I didn't."”

She spends Christmas eve and Christmas morning attending the service at her church. For her the festivities are the same back home, but one thing she misses out here are the carol rounds (where groups go singing carols from home to home), she added. Handel is part of two choirs, to put her singing skills to best use.

"Last week, we had a carol organised by our church in the desert and it was fantastic, complete with a barbecue. On Christmas, my choir will perform at Ski Dubai. So there are lots of exciting and diverse activities"

For Handel, Christmas shopping begins four weeks earlier. "The first buy is the Advent crown made of evergreen leaves and four candles, that need to be lit every Sunday one at a time. I owe this tradition to my childhood in Germany".

She also buys Advents Calendar, which has 24 small doors with chocolate behind them, to help count down to the festival as "it helps builds up the mood for the season", she says.

For another resident, Charbal Tanios, nothing tops Christmas in Lebanon with his family.

‘More joyous'

"It is much more joyous there with more participation from people regardless of their religious beliefs. And it is also more spiritual."

Tanios, who works as an account manager at a public relations firm, has lived in the UAE for 5 years.

He usually travels before or after Christmas to avoid the peak season charges on flights, he says. "I go with gifts for family and friends. It is mostly clothes and electronics like iPods, playstations, mobiles etc".

It is a boon that every kind of Christmas decorations and goods are readily available in UAE, says George Reid, an engineer working at a multinational firm.

"Christmas is a time for family get-togethers and enjoying the festivities such as a traditional lunch complete with roast turkey," Reid added, saying that he feels very much at home in the UAE, where he has spent the last seven years.