Preparing For Christmas
I got up early on Saturday, 2 December, and walked to a nearby plaza to buy some Christmas lights, wreaths, ornaments...whatever I could get my hands on, for decorating the flat. This is how it looks walking home from a Christmas shopping expedition in December, in Doha.
Also, here you see one of the famed "orange and white" taxis. These are really really cheap. It wouldn't even cost $5 to get to the other side of town in one of these in the daytime, including tip, but they are often dirty, and hot, and the seatbelts don't work in the backseat. Oh, and the drivers aren't required to know a lick of English.
We live next door to the Grand Recency, a brand new hotel. They have lots of poinsettias outside, but apparently didn't know what they were called.
I started off by decorating the foyer.
I think this is a guzmania from the bromeliad family. If you think it's not, please e-mail me.
There is no snow in Qatar. Obviously, but I brought a picture of Mom and Dad's house -- and Mom putting lights up, getting ready for Christmas in Canada.
We bought a roly poly snowman, and a roly poly reindeer (I keep calling him a moose, and Dave keeps reminding me it's Christmas, and it's a reindeer.) I also got some candles, to make the season bright.
This is the snowman.
David, wearing the Santa hat I bought him at the CNA-Q craft fair on 9 December.
I got some hard-painted ornaments, too.
I guess if there were any Christian kids in Qatar, Santa would come to them on a camel, right?
Big relief that santa will indeed visit the Islam State of Qatar!
A true souvenir of Qatar for years to come.
More pictures to come, as we decorate the whole flat for the season!