Please have snow and mistletoe and presents for the tree...

Lyric title today from the immortal Elvis, singing the one song that, should I hear it this season, I will be breaking down and sobbing like a baby: I'll Be Home for Christmas. Thus far I've managed to escape it. Listening to not too much radio and most stores aren't piping in the carols.

As I understand it, expat women spontaneously bursting into tears during the holidays is a common phenomenon.

Possibly explaining the lack of Christmas music in the stores. Here I thought it was the whole Islamic country deal...

Other than that, it's chin up for us.

I am very excited (though you may not be) for the folks back home in the Pacific NW. You are going to have a real, honest-to-goodness white Christmas! I am loving getting photos and videos that are putting me over the moon!

Snow on Tiger Mountain in Issaquah.

Thanks to Jean for this photo

Sledding? Shoveling snow? Trying to find the cat? Madness! Fabulous!

(Did I mention that Ski Dubai, however novel it may be, just doesn't cut it for a wintery experience substitute? For one thing, we don't ski! I do enjoy having a drink and watching the skiers there, however...)

I picked up some Bing Crosby for us to enjoy. Sure enough, though it is a "best of" format, White Christmas is on there. Works for me.

Thomas is still distinguishing himself by being utterly delightful but also giving me grey hairs at a rate Clairol frankly cannot compete with. Yesterday, among other things, he was playing in our new curtains (YES! We finally have curtains!!!) and I figured I'd let him get it out of his system. He'd opened the window to "listen to da birds, Mamma." OK, I thought.

Next thing I knew, he had opened the screen, climbed out, closing the screen behind him no less, and off chasing the mayna birds in his diaper giggling madly.

At least our garden is walled...I don't think he could scale that wall...

The other kid, Bethy, got her first report card. It said, over three solidly typed pages, all the things we expected, such as:

Bethy is an eager and enthusiastic student. She is very curious and loves to learn new things. Bethy loves to offer her ideas and opinions. However, she sometimes needs reminding to raise her hand before sharing her ideas...

That's our girl.

For Christmas, Mike finally decided not to go into work (it's a regular work day here) and we'll open our stockings and presents from Santa in the morning. In the afternoon it's off to a potluck gathering with turkey and friends.

We decided to postpone opening our other gifts and have Christmas, Part Deux, when Mike's Mom and Dad get here in a week. Planning on a nice long visit. After all, Christmas with Grandma Colleen and Pa? What a lovely way to wrap up the year here.

I'll be home for Christmas...if only in my dreams....