It's Beginning to look a Little Like Christmas

The week we were going to decorate our Christmas tree, we saw these lights across from the bread shop where we get bread several times a week.

We got a little excited.

Then, I saw that our neighbors and the chicken shop both hung up flags on the outside of their buildings.

More excitement.

We thought there might be some people actually decorating for Christmas, but alas, it turned out to be decorations for Muhammad's birthday.

Oh, well.

We went about decorating, nevertheless, thinking we wouldn't see any Christmas decorations this year.

But then, I went across town to a large grocery store in a mall, and I saw this display!

And look!  They were selling Christmas trees!

There was even this speaker set up playing Christmas music, and at the time I was standing there, there was actually a Burl Ives-type voice telling the Christmas story.

The Christmas story! 

Granted, there was no one around but me, but I'm hoping the music played on a loop all day.

There were also decorations like this, which I loved, because they are made from magazines, just like the necklaces I used to buy in Uganda.

Now, this next part is even better.

These are Christmas balls.  Hundreds and hundreds of Christmas balls were ordered to sell to expats who might want them.

But the sweet person ordering them probably has no idea about decorating a tree and has never decorated a tree themselves, because nowhere in the entire store (or anywhere we looked) were Christmas ball hangers.

Kind of important.

This tree was outside the mall.

And this display was in ANOTHER mall.  

I couldn't believe the number of people lined up to take pictures of their kids with Santa.  And the ones that weren't lined up with kids, were just adults wanting to take selfies with him.

I thought it was pretty funny, so when the crowds cleared, I asked Kylie to be a model for me, so I could share a picture with you.

It turns out I didn't have to "force" her, because we returned a week later, and Caleb and Keira ASKED to take a picture with Santa.

And "Little People" Santa.

So, true, Christmas was not celebrated here by the masses, but some kind people put up some decorations to appease those of us who enjoy the decorations of the holidays.