Look: Dubai Families Celebrate Christmas With Makeshift Cinemas, New Traditions

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

In homes across the UAE, Christmas trees are becoming more than just festive centrepieces - they are reflections of personal traditions, family journeys and the joy of creating something meaningful together.

From repurposed décor and carport cinemas to trees that cross continents, Christmas in the country is taking shape in imaginative ways - each family adding its own flavour to the season.

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For many, it is the small rituals - unpacking old ornaments, involving the kids or welcoming travelling family - that give their celebrations their true sparkle.

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Carport turns into a festive open-air theatre

“This Christmas, I really wanted to focus on warmth, simplicity and togetherness,” said Polish expat Ewa Ledeboer, who lives in Damac Hills 2. She explained that instead of buying new decorations, she began by refreshing old favourites.“I repurposed my homemade Christmas stars that I used last year - I even brought some to my office. Everything this year is done with things from last Christmas.”

Inside her home, Ewa has kept the atmosphere traditional and cosy.“We did the Christmas tree inside, and decorated the railing along the stairs,” she said, adding that her outdoor plans are being saved for something more meaningful.

Rather than covering the exterior in lights and ornaments, she is building an experience for the neighbourhood children.“Christmas for us is more inside than outside, but for the outdoors, I'm planning something for the kids - closer to Christmas.”

Her main project - and the part she's most excited about - is transforming her carport into a festive open-air theatre. She described how the idea grew out of wanting children to have something interactive.“I didn't go with full decoration because I'm planning home-movie projections. I'm going to use my projector - the same one I normally use for Halloween - to screen Christmas movies. Kids can watch them outside in the carport.”

To make the space inviting, she is creating a makeshift cinema setup.“I'm making the screen, setting up benches, bringing extra tables and more seating. The kids can sit with cosy blankets. I've even got a popcorn machine for that purpose,” she laughed. For her children, aged 12 and 14, and their friends, film nights will include The Grinch, A Christmas Story, Christmas Chronicles and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

But for Ewa, the goal extends beyond entertainment.“It's about community spirit,” she said.“We're organising potlucks, bringing neighbours together. Later, I want to do Christmas karaoke - I'm a professional singer - for families who stay behind and are not travelling.”

Trees that travel, traditions that stay

Across town, Natalia Miranda has her own story - one that began with a shipment mishap. Her 118cm Christmas tree travelled all the way from Kenya.“Our Christmas began with a shipping container delay and a frozen batch of trees that never made it,” she said.

With family flying in from California, she searched the city for a live tree.“When the delivery team showed up in small Santa hats, it felt as though Dubai, in all its scale, had become a village for a moment. The branches are settling, the scent of pine is filling the rooms, and we will decorate together when our loved ones land on Thursday. In the true spirit of Christmas, the city came through, and the magic is unmistakably in the air,” she added.

Families making new traditions in new homes

Filipino expat Felizze Faye Flores-Navarro says that in her new home, Christmas décor now reflects the family's novel chapter.“We use the same tree, but we use the different motif on the colours of the ornaments that we use,” she explained.

Their once vibrantly coloured tree has shifted to a softer palette.“We used to have a very colourful Christmas tree, but now we chose to have it like earth tone colours... brownish, a little touch of pink and golden flowers.”

With two toddlers at home, decorating has become a slow, joy-filled process.“Little by little we keep adding to the decoration... when you find something nice to add in our house,” she said, noting that their six-foot IKEA tree has been part of their celebrations for years. Now that the children understand the meaning of the season,“they get excited when we started building a Christmas tree,” making the celebration“more fun now than before.”

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