Now is the time to deck the halls. And to provide some interiors inspiration, or simply ignite the spirit of the season, The National's festive homes series takes you into some of the most fabulously decorated residences in the UAE.
Here, we take a peek into the whimsical but warm Watson home in Dubai’s Jumeirah Islands.
Cherry Watson has loved Christmas decorations since she was a little girl. When she was growing up in London, browsing through the baubles and garlands in stores with her mother was a time-honoured tradition during the holidays. When Watson turned 10, she took over the decoration of the family home's Christmas tree.
With years of tree-dressing experience under her belt, Watson also went on to dabble with the craft professionally. The Briton has a degree in fashion design and worked for Harrods as a stylist, during which time she dressed trees for its website and magazine. In 2018, Watson brought all of that festive expertise with her to Dubai.
She currently lives with husband, Ben, and their two dogs, Rosie and Poppy, in a five-bedroom villa in Jumeirah Islands. And with Christmas around the corner, she has decked the halls to the brim, with numerous themed Christmas trees, handmade ornaments, Nutcracker figurines and gingerbread men.
“I started setting up the decorations on November 20 and worked for two weeks straight to put everything up,” she says. “And I’m still adding bits and bobs.”
Trees of every type
Taking pride of place in the open-plan living room are two massive Christmas trees – a 2.5-metre specimen done up in blush pink and white, and a 3-metre tree in turquoise and gold. Leading to the kitchen is a bright candy-cane tree, ordered through Amazon, with some decorations handmade by Watson and others ordered from the US. A fourth 2.5-metre tree sits in the couple's bedroom upstairs and is decorated in their wedding colours – fuchsia and gold.
Christmas firs aside, Watson’s favourite is a colourful memory tree that sits on the dining table.
“The memory tree is something I’ve been doing with my mum since I was a child. We buy things to hang on the trees on each trip we take and we’ve collected baubles from all over the world – from the Maldives to the Caribbean islands. It even has things that I’ve made; there’s one from the seashells on the beach where I got engaged. So, for me, this is easily the most sentimental tree,” she says.
This year, Watson added another personalised tree to the roster. When she and Ben got married on February 14, close friends and family gave the couple baubles and other decorations that now hang on a small “wedding tree” that sits beside the memory tree.
“We were so lucky to have a wedding at all this year,” she says. “I wanted to remember that.”
There are also three miniature specimens scattered around, racking up the final count of trees in the household to a nifty nine.
Nutcracker figurines galore
Apart from foliage, Watson admits to having a soft spot for Nutcracker figurines, which she has collected over the years.
"We usually visit America right before the holidays. My husband's head office is in a small city near Washington, which has amazing Christmas shops from where I pick up Nutcracker figures. I love the ones from Kurt Adler, and my personal favourite is one themed on The Wizard of Oz, my favourite movie growing up.
“This year, in particular, I was on the lookout for pink Nutcracker dolls. Since we haven’t been able to travel, my parents are bringing some over,” she says.
Apart from these figurines, festive elements are homes in every nook and cranny, including a gingerbread-themed kitchen and a guest bathroom done up to resemble a forest. It may seem like a lot of work and money (the Nutcracker figurines themselves are worth about Dh5,000, while the tree and ornaments from Amazon cost another Dh5,000), but Watson insists it’s all worth it.
“It’s an investment. I’m going to be bringing out the same decorations next year and the next, and just keep adding to it. I’m lucky that the house is big enough to accommodate everything, and that I have a garage for storage.”
With her family coming over this month, she also knows her efforts will be appreciated.
“All my life, my mum has made the house amazing for me for Christmas, so this is just me returning the favour. Besides, since my husband and I haven’t been able to travel all year, it’s nice to celebrate at home and make it a bit extra.”
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Bayern Munich 5 Eintrracht Frankfurt 2
Bayern: Goretzka (17'), Müller (41'), Lewandowski (46'), Davies (61'), Hinteregger (74' og)
Frankfurt: Hinteregger (52', 55')
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
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Melville House
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Places to go for free coffee
- Cherish Cafe Dubai, Dubai Investment Park, are giving away free coffees all day.
- La Terrace, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, are serving their first 50 guests one coffee and four bite-sized cakes
- Wild & The Moon will be giving away a free espresso with every purchase on International Coffee Day
- Orange Wheels welcome parents are to sit, relax and enjoy goodies at ‘Café O’ along with a free coffee
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The five pillars of Islam
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Henrik Stenson's finishes at Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship:
2006 - 2
2007 - 8
2008 - 2
2009 - MC
2010 - 21
2011 - 42
2012 - MC
2013 - 23
2014 - MC
2015 - MC
2016 - 3
2017 - 8
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
