Christmas Years

Decorated buildings and market places, Christmas parties and a benevolent Santa at every corner takes me back to my childhood, when Christmas was not so widely celebrated in India.

I was one of the few to enjoy this festival, being the resident of a predominantly Christian neighborhood. Our next-door neighbors, Robert and Josephine were a childless couple who doted on me (they were blessed with a daughter in their late years). My parents were asked to invest in new clothes for me, and I was a part of every tradition from attending midnight mass to baking cakes with Aunt Jo to matching steps with them in dance parties.

I did not see it as a privilege back then (till I was five years old), but now, I look back fondly at those years when Christmas was not so commercial. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the events even in the old family album.

The tradition of celebrating Christmas at home continued for me, since options of going out were limited.

I found some old pics which I share here. They depict simple and cosy celebrations, not Instagrammable grandeur, yet holding a lot of sentimental value for me. I clicked the pics in an album with the phone, so clarity is low.

We normally have roast duck/turkey, meatballs in gravy, sausages, rice with coconut milk, garlic bread and a variety of salads. Steamed Christmas pudding or plum cake with vanilla icecream and chocolate sauce ring the final notes. Mulled wine is an accompaniement, if I find time to do it in advance.