Christmas Snapshots

Nothing says Christmas like Santa Yoda!

Christmas was low key in the best of ways. There were a few presents in the morning and some skyping with family. In the evening we shared dinner with some friends of ours. The focus was where it needed to be. Miranda summed things up best when she said that her favourite part of Christmas was watching other people open up the gifts she had made for them.

Lucy's Hand Knitted gifts were a huge hit this year.

See.

I know Christmas is supposed to be cold and snowy.
For some reason, I don't miss that part.

 A few days after Christmas, my brother Mike and his wife Christy treated us to a day at the Atlantis Water Park in Dubai. It was a great day and the kids had a ton of fun. However, I do have to admit that it was a little on the chilly side whenever the sun ducked behind the clouds. The kids didn't seem to notice unless they left the water, and they rarely left the water.

On New Years Eve day, we spent a great day at the beach with some friends and were treated to a pretty spectacular air show by the UAE Air Force. Abu Dhabi in one of the destinations for the Volvo Challenge, a round the world  yachting race and there's lots going on. We even heard Coldplay across the bay doing a soundcheck.

Coldplay played just down the street on New Years Eve. It's one of the few modern bands that I actually follow, and the idea of seeing a world class concert on New Year's Eve was, I have to admit, a little tempting. However, as the day approached, I became more and more ambivalent. I liked the idea of the concert and the story it would be, but I didn't relish the crowds, chaos or the sonic pounding my eardrums would undoubtedly receive. In short, I felt too old to go. I know I wouldn't have been the oldest person there by a long shot. There are many people here who are much older than me going to great lengths and expense to fit in with the under thirty set who would've jumped at the chance to sing along with the band, but I simply wasn't up to it. Even the idea of it wearied me. 

This week we visited the Emirates Zoo, not far outside of Abu Dhabi. Not a huge Zoo, but as you can see from the pictures, you can get pretty intimate with some of the residents.

Camels do not make good backgrounds for group shots.