Christmas and New Year!

Christmas Day 2011 saw the arrival of my little brother from NY.. Yes, I know 4 years younger to me makes him not so little …  but he will always be a little child in my eyes. My post in September 2011 will give you a faint glimpse about him!

—–My dear brother has come (pronounced ca- ummm) to town!!!

Last Christmas season was what some may like to believe the ‘Perfect Christmas‘, with cold winds blowing, a full blown snowstorm and a hot cup of cocoa in hand whilst watching the world go by! But, I speak for myself by stating that I am not a fan of snow… 6 months spent in cold Buffalo way back in 2003-2003, were enough to put me off snow for life!

My personal opinion is that the weather in the UAE is best at Christmastime.. and nothing can top being here along with  your loved ones. Of course, Christmas here is said to be a small n silent affair, though it is is the time when retail giants, hotels and establishments cash in the most “fuloos” (money in Arabic), given the huge expatriate population in the country celebrating Christmas.

Decorating the house and the tree was a long affair which started early December and finally accomplished a few days before Christmas:) Not really my fault! December was a crazy month- In fact it always is.

Christmas 2011 whizzed past, it being a family affair… On returning form the airport and a hearty Christmas lunch followed by a late evening service in church, the family settled to a wholesome dinner and we befriended Kinect yet again..We were transported back to being little kids  with mum asking us to go to bed every 30 minutes . The clock struck 4 am and Mr. R had to be at work in 4 hours- did that deter him? Well anyone who knows us sure knows the answer to that!

New Year’s Eve was spent in the company of family and close friends at a dance.. No, it did not remind one of the dances back home in Bombay. 1st January saw us paying a visit to the local (newly opened) Hard Rock Cafe in Dubai Festival City (HRC) with old friends and family. It was as good as the old one which shut down due to liquor license permits.. Yes, this is the UAE, and you can only serve alcohol if you are attached to a starred hotel. The old HRC on Sheikh Zayed Road was a stand alone HRC with a club. No wonder there were issues in renewing the liquor permits. It must be noted that it is only a soft opening for HRC and I did visit HRC  when it just opened about 2 months back. It was so new that there was no band playing and as always with every newly opened establishment, teething problems. However,on our visit on the first day of the year, HRC proved that it didn’t need more that a couple of months to surpass expectation. The band was almost the same, with a male lead joining the band, and as usual kids are allowed. What more could one want??

A 2 week local leave from work went by in the blink of an eye, with visits to theme parks,trying out adventure sports, restaurants, less than a few malls , shopping and generally chilling at home. Just being together for  two weeks in a year is a treat in itself..

But all good things come to an end with better things in store for us! May this new year usher tidings of great joy, peace, love, happiness and prosperity and may all our homes always be filled with laughter, happiness and Jesus!!

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