Christmas is one festival, which never fails to enchant me. Right
from my childhood, I have cherished a secret wish to celebrate Christmas in all
its glory.
I want to celebrate it in the traditional way like Christians all
over the world; complete with a huge Christmas tree, the nativity scene,
carols, gifts and of course Santa Claus.
The story of Christmas with the images of angels and a young
mother, of shepherds and a stable, of wise men and royal intrigue captivated me
from childhood.
 |
| Image Source |
The church nearby re-created the nativity scene every year
and it was a huge crowd puller in my village. Majority of the villagers were
Hindus, but everyone celebrated Christmas irrespective of religion.
The carol groups visiting our doors always had a Santa who never
resembled Santa Claus in any way, barring the tattered paper mask.
We did not receive gifts but there would be a delicious feast
in our house and we cousins would enjoy the festival season, as it would be
vacation time for all.
Christmas also meant cakes, which our Christian family friend
who would sometimes arrive during Christmas would bring. The scent and taste of
the homemade cake remains a fond memory.
While in school and college, Christmas became more
entertaining with the Secret –Christmas- friend game that had become popular.
It ensured that everyone had gifts for Christmas.
It was after my wedding when I moved to Dubai, a Muslim
emirate, that I saw the full festive spirit of Christmas. Most of my colleagues
were Christians.
There, the malls and super markets sparkled during the
Christmas season with red and green décor everywhere.
Huge Christmas trees welcomed the shoppers and the shops
would be buzzing with Christmas sales.
Here in Bangalore too, we do celebrate Christmas. Mostly it is
just a day out to the Mall with Christmas decorations and eating out.
The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge was first held in 2010. The challenge is that we have to post every day of April, except on the four Sundays. April 1st is a theme with letter A, 2nd with letter B and so on till April 30th which will be Z themed. My theme is #Learning Everyday, I post about new random things every day.
