The Seasonal Vistor

I forced the kids to go see Santa for the last time, even though neither of them honestly believe any more. I'm not proud of this but I just wasn't ready to give it up yet - there was too much other change this year. To my amazement, they went without too much arguement. Aren't they so kind to their mommy? Check out the expression on Michael's face. That alone tells me there's no way he'll do this again!

The "seasonal visitor" came to a large conference room. Aramco did a admirable job with the ambiance: there was a choir, a table of goodies, festive decorations, butlers (?) walking around with trays of mulled cider, etc.

Yet, it still felt just a little "off." It can best be described as being a shock to our senses, and feeling somewhat forced. We walked out of 80 degree weather into an air-conditioned room, desert into winter wonderland - relative quiet (aside from the ever present roar of air force jets) into Christmas carols sung with an Indian accent. There was a beautiful buffet laden not with Christmas goodies but with Middle Eastern delights.

There's not much more to say without starting to sound whiny and ungrateful. However, it's not likely that any of us will express disappointment at skipping this event next year. I guess it's time to move on.