Dec 25: Christmas!

Because everyone here is separated from their families, we had several iterations of Christmas workplace celebrations.
On Dec 15, we launched the holiday season with an office luncheon party that ended up going until close-of-business. I decorated a tree with little laminated framed pictures of everyone in the office (I called it our office family Christmas tree),  and the graphic designers made a fancy poster of a Christmas tree with the same concept... it was a hit and made everyone feel happy. Even our Iraqi Muslim colleagues were excited to be featured on the Christmas tree. It was an religiously inclusive celebration!

The Office Family Christmas Tree

Praya and chins friends setting up Christmas tree

Our Christmas banner (we put the rest of the offices to shame)!

We all took photos by the banner like it was a backdrop at the JC Penney portrait studio

We did the same thing next to the Christmas tree, but the designated photographer didn't see the purpose in including the tree in the shots. Go figure.

I lured Aaron out of his office for a Christmas photo...

We convinced our section head, Martin, to MC an "official" tree lighting ceremony (no luck convincing him to wear a Santa suit)

Trying to warn Martin that he's about to plug the lights into the wrong outlet (which would have been the end of the tree lighting ceremony)

Disaster averted. Everyone enjoyed finding their picture on the tree. Muhiba (reaching out to the tree) is laughing because her ornament featured a drunken version of herself dressed in a clown costume (how could I resist celebrating such an esteemed moment of dignity?).

Gratuitous shots of the handsome hubby :)

Someone realizes his picture is being taken... raised eyebrow engaged.

Praya's Colleagues, from left to right: Addie (USA), Bev (Texas), Muhiba (Tajikistan), Indrani (India), Alisher (Uzbekistan), me, Rana (Iraq), and Natalia (Moldova)

Despite how it looks, I did NOT stab Muhiba with my fork and steal her baklava (though it really was delicious)

A few of Aaron's colleagues, from left to right: Hiba (Aaron's assistant-Iraq), Nadal (Iraq), Albert (Iraqi-American), and Sundus (Iraq). 

Small sidetrack: Nadal is such a character. She's single (and every time I take her picture, she asks me to post it on "one of those singles websites" and find her a boyfriend), prone to dramatic fainting, and will trample over people to get next to Aaron in office pictures (Aaron is her office son). She  even plays the role of Grizzly bear mother-- A couple of weeks ago, I was in the office kitchen when Aaron ran by. I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the kitchen for a quick hug, and he ran out laughing a few seconds later.  Half a minute later, Nadal marches into the kitchen with a stone-cold evil look on her face, looks over at me with a sense of satisfaction, and says "I saw some woman's hand pull Aaron into the kitchen so I just had to come and make sure it was you... OR ELSE!" And with that, she turned on her heels and marched out.

 Aaron's boss, David, in the middle of giving a detailed account of his Jerry Garcia tie collection.

A few days after the Christmas party, our Iraqi colleagues treated us to a holiday feast of traditional Iraqi food. We're like the poster children for religious tolerance! And the food was delicious, too...

Public Affairs Section (look who's standing next to Aaron)

We finished the season with a Christmas Eve party at Brian's house (the guy sleeping peacefully next to me). Brian loves Christmas so much that he leaves his Christmas tree and lights up year round. He also shipped over lawn-sized decorations from Target, so we filled  up his apartment with gigantic snowmen and reindeer (of course I forgot my camera). It was good fun.

The next day, Aaron and I had a great Christmas together! We put up an adorable little Charlie Brown Christmas tree (you'll have to take my word for it because I forgot to take a picture), complete with popcorn garland (which was a total pain to make, btw), and spent the day skyping with family and reading our Christmas books.

We accidentally slept through New Year's Eve, so it was kind of a bust.