Feliz Navidad

While New England was blanketed in snow, Beirut got lashed with sheets of Christmas Eve rain. On Tuesday, the surf on the AUB beach was crashing like I'd never seen it--breakers sending sea spray way up into the air and wetting the wide, empty Corniche sidewalk. The high surf and windy conditions must have been harbingers of wet weather, because Christmas Eve was pretty soggy. At one point Jeff and I donned our hiking pants and rain gear for a little stroll along the Corniche. Just as we reached the seaside, it started to downpour. Between the wind and the rain, we were both completely soaked in seconds, so we acknowledged defeat and headed back home for a couple bottles of 961 beer (Lebanon's only microbrew, named after the country's telephone prefix) and some stir-fried local chicken.
 
A couple nights ago, though, the weather was conducive to a walk downtown. All the downtown shops were decked out in lights and glittery decorations. As we strolled through Martyr's square, we noticed that there was a brightly-lit Christmas tree across from the big blue-domed mosque (Jeff took the above photo). We also spotted a sign for "Santa's Village" outside a white tent. We ducked inside and found pretty much what you'd expect to find in the U.S.: lots of little kids lining up to sit on Santa's lap, popcorn for sale, and tables where weary parents could sit and sip coffee. At one end of the tent was a stage where a group of cheerful little girls in santa hats bounced around and danced to "Feliz Navidad." Of all the languages I hear daily in Beirut, this was the first time I'd heard Spanish. As we turned to leave we walked past a group of kids and adults buying manouchi (flatbread sandwiches) warmed on the dome-shaped saj grill. When we got back out into the open air we could see the mosque and the Christmas tree both lit up against the night sky. 
 
Santa, a saj, a Christmas tree, a mosque, and perhaps even a lawn gnome--just a few of the things one can see at Christmastime in Beirut. It's almost enough to make me forget to miss the snow!