Christmas, as a whole, can seem like an insurmountable mountain to be climbed. There’s the gift-buying (and wrapping), the food to buy and prepare and the events to keep track of, not to mention hosting visiting friends and family.
Making a list (and checking it twice!) will help you keep track of everything that needs to be done. By dividing up the festive season into smaller, manageable chunks, and starting early, you can enjoy a stress-free Christmas. Here’s how …
To do early November: pre-order turkey and tree
Planning ahead reduces stress and anxiety leading to better productivity and allows you to carve out time for relaxation, even indulgence, as the big day draws closer.
Pre-ordering is a great way to start ticking things off your list and ensures you get the tree, cut of meat or popular toys you want before they sell out.
For real trees, Kibsons, Oleander and Ace Hardware are all taking online pre-orders for their firs now and Spinneys is taking orders from November 20, with deliveries commencing towards the end of the month. Oleander is also offering a range of festive wreaths made from real fir cut-offs.
“We would encourage customers to order early to avoid missing out on the tree of their preference, as demand is high,” says Daniel Cabral at Kibsons.
For those who opt for an artificial tree, Ikea, Carrefour and Ace all have options in stock to buy now, with the added bonus that they’re boxed and can be stored away until you’re ready to put them up.
Turkeys can also be pre-ordered, making it another thing that can be checked off your list early. “Turkeys do sell out,” says Peter Green, director of operations at Jones the Grocer. “Peak collection days such as Christmas Day are already looking hectic, and they usually sell out by early December.”
Mid to late November: lights, tickets, action
Shows and events are typically booked up quickly across the UAE. If you have a specific festive brunch, restaurant date, theatre trip or experience in mind, it’s best to get it locked in before the December rush. Take some time to go online and see what events you want to enjoy, in particular those with limited time and spaces such as visits to Santa.
If you like to decorate the outside of your house for the festive season, dig out your lights to check they’re working before you put them up. The same goes for tree lights, which can also sell out closer to Christmas. If last year’s ones aren’t working, you have plenty of time to get them fixed or order new ones. And don’t forget to buy your advent calendars, too.
It is also a good time to have declutter in anticipation of visitors and new Christmas gifts.
Four weeks to go: menu preparation and letters to Santa
If you like to decorate in early December, it’s time to dust off the decorations and go to town on the house and tree.
While there are plenty of online stores to buy additional decorations, it’s more fun to head to the shops and soak up the festive atmosphere at the mall, so make a few hours in your schedule to go and be Christmassy.
If you’re sending out Christmas cards, doing so in the first week of December gives them plenty of time to arrive, while e-cards can be scheduled to be sent out at a date of your choosing.
Early December is a great time to plan menus for big meals such as Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Finalise numbers for main mealtimes, but don’t forget the other days in between, plus plenty of snacks and drinks.
Now that festive season is in full swing, don’t forget to send those letters to Santa.
It’s also a good idea to finish your Christmas gift shopping by next week, as well as order gifts online for friends and family in other countries.
Three weeks to go: it's a wrap
Make sure you have plenty of different-sized batteries for Christmas Day toys as well as wrapping paper, bows and tags. Evenings can be spent with a mug of hot chocolate and Christmas movies while wrapping gifts.
Make sure you have enough cutlery, dishes and glassware for any guests you’re hosting, and prepare spare bedrooms and bathrooms. If you have visitors from your home country coming for Christmas, make a list of any items you’re homesick for and ask them to buy them and pack them in their suitcase. Also, check international delivery dates to the UAE in case it’s easier to have any items sent to friends and family to bring with them.
It's also a good idea to begin your meal preparation as early as possible and store in the freezer ahead of time.
Two weeks to go: final snacks and emergency presents
While food preparation continues, with two weeks to go, order snacks and party food to be delivered and stored in the freezer. Try to make as many dishes in advance as possible.
It’s also a good idea to make sure you have a few emergency gifts wrapped and ready in case you receive an unexpected present and need to give one in return. Items such as candles, food hamper items and gift cards are handy one-size-fits-all ideas.
One week to go: Netflix and veg
With so many streaming platforms, deciding what to watch can sometimes take hours of indecision.
Take time to scroll and add festive movies and shows to your list, so you have plenty of entertainment to hand. Also, dig out board games for family evenings and for visitors.
In the days before Christmas, do your vegetable shopping and order any other perishables to be stored in the fridge.
By the final week, you’ll have been so well organised that there should be time for festive drinks with friends, gingerbread making with children and maybe taking in a show or two.
Oh, and on Christmas Eve don’t forget to leave carrots for the reindeers and a mince pie for you know who …
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience
by David Gilmour
Allen Lane
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
more from Janine di Giovanni
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m, Winner: ES Rubban, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Al Mobher, Sczcepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: Jabalini, Tadhg O’Shea, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: AF Abahe, Tadgh O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: AF Makerah, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Law Of Peace, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Sunday:
GP3 race: 12:10pm
Formula 2 race: 1:35pm
Formula 1 race: 5:10pm
Performance: Guns N' Roses
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
