Christmas in Abu Dhabi

Since I was raised in Abu Dhabi and my parents still live there, I consider it my home. I returned for Christmas during our 6-week winter break, which is wonderfully long compared to most schools, and I’m writing this on a plane back to The Hague.

It was a great trip and an escape from Europe’s cold. Consequently, December doesn’t feel much like Christmas in Abu Dhabi, at least not in the traditional sense. Being the capital of a Muslim country, you won’t find many Christmas trees or lights around the city like you do in Holland. We keep our celebrations indoors.

The weather was amazing – while Abu Dhabi can hit 50°C in the summer, during winter it’s cool and pleasant. It was in the 20s most days.

It was great to be back and catching up with family and old friends. 2016 came around and everyone went to the beach to watch the fireworks bring in the new year – our yearly tradition.

It was an eventful trip – we went to the Liwa desert (where scenes from the new Star Wars was filmed), went boating in the Mangroves, saw a speech by Sarkozy (the previous president of France), ate lots of good food, and just relaxed after a long semester.

Here’s a short video I made of my trip. Enjoy!