by Layla, age 9, asks who wrote The Christmas Song, about the Empty Quarter, and Dubai’s population
Dear Santa,
Marhaba from Dubai. My name is Layla and I am 9 years old. My family is originally from the Philippines, but we live here now, and every December the big shopping malls put up enormous trees and even fake snow, which always feels strange against the desert heat outside.
My first question is about a song: who wrote the famous song about chestnuts roasting on an open fire?
My second question is geography: what desert covers much of this part of the world?
My third question is from school: why does Dubai have so many people from other countries living there?
I left you a date filled cookie called maamoul, which is usually for a different holiday, but it felt right to share.
Love, Layla, age 9, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
From the Desk of Father Christmas
Dear Layla, a maamoul cookie is a treat no matter which holiday it started as, so thank you. Now, to your musical question and the others.
Who wrote the famous chestnuts roasting song?
You are thinking of The Christmas Song, often nicknamed for its opening line about chestnuts roasting. It was written in the middle of a hot summer in 1945 by two songwriters, Mel Torme and Robert Wells, who reportedly tried to imagine cool winter images to beat the heat while writing it, and it became especially famous through a beloved recording by Nat King Cole. I cannot write out the actual lyrics here, since the song is still protected by copyright, but you can easily find the full recording on any music service, and it is one of the most requested songs of the whole season.
What desert covers much of this part of the world?
Much of the Arabian Peninsula, including the land around Dubai, is covered by desert, with a vast section known as the Rub al Khali, or the Empty Quarter, one of the largest sand deserts on Earth. Its dunes shift and shape constantly with the wind, stretching further than the eye can see.
Why does Dubai have so many people from other countries?
Dubai grew rapidly over the last several decades as a global hub for trade, business, and tourism, and it actively welcomed workers and families from all over the world, including many from your own Philippines, to help build and run the city. Today the majority of people living in Dubai were actually born elsewhere, which is exactly why you can find malls decorated for Christmas right alongside markets and mosques, all part of one very international city.
Enjoy the fake snow, however strange it looks, and I shall see you very soon.
Ho ho ho, Santa
