I WAS GOING TO FOREGO WRITING THE EDITOR’S LETTER....

... this issue, and instead just print the lyrics to Phoebe Buffay’s Christmas song (sample: “Went to the store, sat on Santa’s lap, asked him to bring my friends all kinds of cr*p”). Yes, I admit, using a ridiculous holiday song from Friends might seem, well, a little ‘out there’, but hey, it’s Christmas. If ever I was going to get away with such frivolity it would be now, because it’s Christmas. Who cares what craziness LC is up to, it’s Christmas, and we’re all having too much fun.

But then it occurred to me – Christmas is tonnes of fun for me because I have it so easy. It wasn’t me that had to go and collect a huge artificial tree and bring it home (thank you ACE Hardware for that). And it won’t be me who will be buying in all the stuff needed for a huge Christmas dinner, then spending all day cooking it (thank you UAE five-star hotel brunch).

And, yes, we do have lots to do at work at this time of year, but I also have an amazing team around me, working non-stop to produce brilliant editions of What’s On, and your daily dose of festive news on WhatsOn.ae, so a big thank you to the team, too.

Luckily, we’re never ones not to share the love here at What’s On, and once again we’ve come up trumps for you, too, to help make your festive season a little more easier and fun. Starting on page 18, we have seven pages of brilliant festive ideas, from the best Christmas dinners and markets to explore, to the best parties to go to. Not only that, we also have a whole separate supplement to the best New Year’s Eve parties, from small to large, however you want to see in 2022.

And as if all that wasn’t enough, this issue we also bring you the lowdown on three of the country’s biggest events, the F1 and its amazing Yasalam After-Race concerts (p28); FUTR World (p36); and Mubadala Tennis Championships (p24), all of which are taking place in the capital this month.

To top off the celebrations this year, and on behalf of the whole team here at What’s On, we’d love to extend our warmest congratulations to the UAE – our second home – on its Golden Jubilee milestone. Thanks for making this place the best place on Earth. Here’s to the next 50th.

Enjoy the issue, merry Christmas, and a happy New Year to you all.