Our Family’s First Christmas in Morocco Perfectly Imperfect

Our Family’s First Christmas in Morocco: Perfectly, Imperfect, My daughters are certain that they must see the flashy, energy-guzzling, intricate red-and-white, Rudolph, Frosty, and Santa-themed Christmas decorations on the day following Halloween, along with everyone else in the United States. The fact that they have never lived in the US is irrelevant. Furthermore, it makes no difference where we have lived—in Central Africa, West Africa, or, more recently, Morocco—Halloween hasn’t exactly been a “typical” event. My kids want their Christmas decorations despite all the time my husband and I have spent trying to dissuade them over the past ten or more years thanks to social media and animated television shows. Fortunately for them. Moroccan retailers and businesses began to embrace the Christmas hype on November 1st, due to the cunning of global consumerism.

These days, Rabat grocery stores are stocked to the brim with rows and rows of boxed chocolates: enormous plastic containers of Christmas-themed M&Ms, fancy European-style chocolates, aisles brimming with bright tinsel, dubious holiday decorations, oversized adult Santa costumes that look off, sad little Charlie Brown-style Christmas trees, enormous quantities of garlands. and a dizzying supply of ornamental balls. My kids are pleased with everything.

I was shocked to see advent calendars at 30 Moroccan Dirham ($3) apiece (yes, they were Minions-themed, but who cares)!

Moroccan Christmas Markets

Rabat’s festive season offers a great, global flavor. There are outdoor Christmas bazaars in magnificent gardens where you can do all of your year-round shopping! Many of them support deserving nonprofit organizations in the city and beyond Morocco. The items on show are frequently exquisitely made and of great quality at affordable prices. Additionally, the joyful mood is usually a big draw. Nothing beats strolling through a backyard Christmas market in 73 degree sunshine.

We get the Christmas music play lists out at home. Teeny-bop Christmas tunes for my daughters. For my hubby, Mariah Carey. We put the Santa hats on. Now, even the cat has one. My children make sure that every door has a jingle bell or a flowing garland on it as we decorate every inch of our home. Last but not least, our house is effectively one big sparkling Christmas present waiting to be opened. Our Family’s First Christmas in Morocco: Perfectly, Imperfect

the customs of Christmas

Some Christmas traditions never change, so when my husband pulls out his grandmother’s top-secret recipe for Belgian waffles, we all complain about how long it takes him to make them and how grouchy he becomes while he is preparing. The kitchen has the appearance that someone turned on the fan at high speed after dumping a whole bag of flour beneath it. But because they are the tastiest waffles on the globe and authentic Belgian ones at that, we all get to enjoy the delightful advantages afterwards.

We decorate our nails with cheery seasonal hues, or even better, we go for an inexpensive manicure and pedicure in our area for only about 100 dirhams ($10 total). That’s the true spirit, now!

The tastes of Morocco

We make an effort to design some festive entertainment that fits with the nation in which we reside. Strawberries are in season in December here in Morocco, making them the ideal sweet treat. These are pure perfection when dipped in chocolate! We try our hand at baking our own Moroccan cookies when I’m feeling ambitious. I love anything that has been honey-drizzled on top.

We also socialize with brand-new Moroccan and foreign acquaintances. We are grateful to be in such a stunning place with so much to see and do. In a way, visiting Morocco is a holiday present in and of itself! And because we live abroad, our friends there become family. Being near to our aunts, uncles, grandparents, and childhood pals is not a luxury we enjoy. People that travel worldwide and can connect to our nomadic lifestyle quickly become friends with us.

And we are appreciative. I’m oh-so-grateful. No matter where we are during this season of giving, we are grateful.

In the end, I believe you might say that the holiday spirit found us rather than the other way around in Rabat. Being non-traditional, they are possibly the greatest sort since they are one-of-a-kind, eccentric, and painstakingly constructed. Our lives are not cookie-cutter, thus we can never have perfectly spotless holidays. But this is how we prefer it. And you might say that a whole network of elves helped make our amazing first Christmas in Morocco just a little bit imperfect.