This is my first Christmas in Syria and it is very different from any other Christmas i have experienced abroad. For a start it is cold! My African Christmases have all been hot, with Christmas lunch outside in the shade, usually with non-traditional food and often with unpredictable electricity. Here in Damascus the power supply is good and i could have bought a turkey in one of the many supermarkets if i had wanted but i would be eating it indoors with the heating on! As it is, we have booked to go to one of the big hotels for Christmas 'brunch' as our cooking facilities in the office/apartment are limited, so we are looking forward to that then we will spend the rest of the day at home with a bottle of wine and the TV. Our Christmas present to ourselves is a 32 inch flat screen TV, athough the TV channels we get are not wonderful.
From 19-22 December there was a Muslim festival so everyone was off work, this left only 2 working days before Christmas, which is also a holiday here. So most workers have been given the whole week off and Damascus has been very quiet for a change.
Tonight i am going to an Arabic carol service and on Christmas morning John and i will go to an Anglican, English speaking church at 10am. I love going to church on Christmas day.
Merry Christmas to all my family at Church of God in Kilsyth, I miss you very much. God bless you and keep you and flood your hearts with His grace and peace. xxx
Merry Christmas to anyone else who might be reading this - God sent His son Jesus to save us from our sins and restore us to our Heavenly Father, this is the reason we celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas. Praise the Lord!
