Our 2005 Christmas in Saudi

This year’s Christmas in Saudi was really not one of my personal best. Our car developed a rusty water pipe and we took it to the shop on Dec. 22nd and, today, Dec. 26th it is still there. Normally, out here in Saudi land, on Dec. 22nd, we go over to Bahrain and shop/eat/and see a movie. This covers for Wedding Anniversary celebration and a joyous starter for the Christmas season. Bahrain Mall is a Christmas wonderland and it really feels like Christmas there.

Instead, on our 39th Anniversary this year we went out to dinner in Saudi with friends to AMICI RESTAURANT (This is their spelling). It is a pretty fancy Italian restaurant across from the Corniche in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Food is high priced and presented artistically, but ‘ok’ in flavor.

What was fun was to walked, after dinner, through the furniture stores that are next door to AMICI’S! There are about three huge stores that have the most garish, massive, expensive furniture I have yet to see gathered in one place. Remember films that take place in English castles that have massive rooms and extremely ornate furniture? Well, that is what is being sold in these stores. Expensive Saudi cars were parked outside, while black veiled women floated through the stores picking out items for their palatial homes. We tried to control our gasps of humor and horror at these monstrous, garish and amazingly expensive pieces of furniture, chandeliers and Deco. pieces.

Jim had to work as usual on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. There are absolutely no signs of Christmas visible in this Muslim Saudi society except what private individuals create in their homes or what the small restaurants inside Western Compounds provide. However, Jim was wished “Merry Christmas” by some of his colleagues and students.

Last year, in the English Department at KFUPM, a Matawa (Religious Police), came in and posted a sign in Arabic on their large bulletin board for the students to see, stating that wishing or saying Merry Christmas or Happy New Year was “Haram” prohibited. One of the students, as he ripped the notice from the board, apologized to Tony, who works in the English Dept. here at KFUPM.

Around this time of year, it is not uncommon to see in the English Arab News paper, notices prohibiting verbal wishing of Merry Christmas or Happy New Year. Saudi citizens are reminded that this is “Haram”.

Anyway, the idea of taking a taxi and doing any Christmas shopping in Saudi did not appeal to me in the least this year, so Jim and I decided to just not share gifts with each other. Besides, Jim had so much work, and still does, that he really couldn’t get away for any extra outings right now without being mentally preoccupied with his work. I just didn’t feel like going out and about alone trying to re-create Christmas in this veiled, joyless society right now either.

We did go out to dinner with friends last night, Dec. 25th at the Blue Strawberry, which is a little Bistro located inside the Rezayat Western Residential Compound. It was very festive and they served their own homemade wine and had a very nice choice of food. We took the turkey and traditional Christmas pudding…minus the liquor that I believe is soaked into this pudding. We had “Poppers” at our plates that, when popped open, made a loud BANG and little toys and paper crown hats fell out. Jim and I are not too familiar on how these worked, so we pretty much mangled ours and never got the POP part. But, being a good sport, I put on my paper crown. Jim would have none of it.

When we got home from our Christmas dinner we placed our phone calls to our family and so very much enjoyed hearing about all their different celebrations and gifts.

There is a rumor that next year we may actually have the chance to be in the USA for Christmas. But, until that is for sure, we are not planning a thing! Rumors are such a part of this country, that unless we get a royal decree, we will not believe…and often even that decree is taken back and changed at the last minute.

OK, from now until Jan. 3rd I am going to focus on our big Hajj vacation trip to New Zealand. We leave Bahrain on Jan. 3rd and return to Saudi on Jan. 20th. Oh boy, we get to SEE GREEN and BE FREE!!! Life is pretty great!

Oh yes, the car needs a new water pipe and that is found only in the city of Jeddah. That store is closed for five days for inventory and Hajj. However, the shop here is going to try and get a temporary fix today by going to an iron-works place and have a new pipe made. Our fingers are crossed!