I’m a cold weather person, and my trenchant New England roots have equipped me with a default expectation that all humans should have grown up with Christmas seasons that really do resemble a Currier and Ives picture print: snowfall, ski pants, and moon boots that do nothing to grip on the icy veneer that transformed my hilly neighborhood into a sledder’s paradise.

In my apartment, I have kinda done a lousy job of decorating in preparation for this year’s holiday. Even though I haven’t had internet in my apartment for the past three weeks, I’ve still managed to find plenty of things to occupy my time- and these usually include getting out of the house. So what you see up above is my only attempt at decorating for 2011. It’s fantastic.

The office that kind of keeps tabs on me in Dakar had a little office decorating party, complete with food and Christmas music. I brought in some homemade (just add egg and oil) brownies. Fresh beignets, pumpkin swirl cake, juice and other healthful treats made their way into the office.

I don’t know how often the office pull-up bar gets used, but it’s in an optimal location for yuletide whatever. Senegalese in general are a tall people, and here you can see that our toubab Santa is on a chair, while our co-workers to the left are just standing around and putting up decorations like they are helping old ladies reach products in the grocery store. (Note, I’m not that tall, but I get asked to do this all the time- just not in Senegal.)

The Vermont flag in our office gets its own rather muted sprucing. Vermont means New England- so in my designers eye I think it needs a bit more L.L. Bean pine cones or snow shoes thrown in there for good measure. No matter, we get lots of maple syrup as a result of our Vermont National Guard rep. (In case you missed my blog posting, Vermont is paired up with Senegal under our fantastic State Partnership Program).

Senegal is 95% Muslim- but as I always try to stress in my blog, the people are extremely tolerant and this not the kind of Islam that some of you ‘Merica-dwellers may be envisioning. While no country is perfect, you encounter loads of acceptance in this country. You see it in tiny acts such as this one: watching a non-Catholics hang garlands and get in the spirit simply because it’s fun. This sounds silly, but I find this mentality so refreshing. “You Americans- you like to complicate everything!” was what I was once told when I ask how religious tolerance worked so well here.

Homemade sugar cookies! More small tokens that help me to feel a bit more at home in the 85 degree December heat. Nostalgia factor be damned, these were fabulous.

Don’t worry, the Santa hat with the Navy Working Uniform is a new update to regulations. In Senegal at least. Hey, at least he’s not wearing flip flops (today)…

After the decorating party, we had lots of left over sugar bombs. We filled up three trays of dessert items and walked around the compound so random people could also be a part of our indulgence. Another important lesson that Senegal has taught me is the power of giving. Yeah, I know that we all understand this in concept, but I see so many people every single day here going about their lives and giving what little they have to others who have even less. It’s very Senegalese to share, and I’m hoping that I retain this lesson once I finally leave.

Taxi roulette can and can’t be a fun game here in Senegal. Sometimes you get in and wonder what will become of your skeletal structure as you hold the faulty door closed for your entire commute – or other times you duck inside and suddenly find yourself surrounded by a mélange of Islamic and Christmas decoration that you would never expect before stepping in. That’s the thing about Senegal- the people and potential interactions always keep you guessing. It’s one of my favorite things about this country.

Here I was trying to zoom in on commonly-seen taxi decorations that include photos of major religious leaders like Cheikh Amadou Bamba. I don’t really understand the reflective eagle on a plastic orange tissue cover- but it is somehow less random than the Christmas tree ornaments hanging from the ceiling.

In Senegal, all of the holidays are celebrated (Muslim, Christian, etc.), and at Christmas every manner of tree is a potential target for metallic Made in China trimmings. I find this way cooler than Hawaii’s Mele Kalikimaka palm tree (but then again, maybe I’ve been here too long).

All of the streetlights on the corniche might now always be working, but at sunset these guys did light up, and they certainly add a nice touch to December.