'Tis the season to be jolly; Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la

This year Christmas crept up on me when I was not watching and suddenly it was arm’s distance away and I hadn’t yet bought my Christmas cards and gifts!

The merriment and excitement started coming alive as the day arrived. And suddenly there were smiles on everyone’s faces, a lift in their step and one started seeing the colours of the season, red and green around oneself.

My celebrations started out with picking up the name of my gift receiver during the Secret Santa rounds in office. We had to buy a gift for the person whose name we picked and the budget was Rs. 100/- only! This was a fun activity and it succeeded in getting everyone in the right “Christmassy” mood! We exchanged our gifts on Christmas Eve which was also celebrated as the “Red and/or Green Day” at work. As I walked through the office the colours of the season beamed back at me…

Christmas Day saw me eating a lovely lunch at my brother’s in-law’s house and as I gorged on vindaloo and sorpatel I was in heaven! Christmas dinner found me with my best friend – a tradition we have kept up for the last 8-9 years!! This year we ate at The Intercontinental Hotel at Marine Drive where our table overlooked the sea…. an awesome view!!

After dinner we walked on Marine Drive with a cool breeze enveloping us in its arms. We went to see the Christmas tree at The Hilton. Though we were thoroughly searched as we entered, there was no mistaking the electrifying atmosphere inside where children ran around the HUGE tree and parents were taking their pictures. The mood was of fun and laughter and as I sat there I realised that this was the first time since the terrorist attacks last year that I had been inside the hotel. A slight chill ran down my spine as I remembered the awful scenes that were played in this hotel but the chill disappeared as the air rang with the giggles and laughter of the little children. Hope and Peace had returned to The Hilton.

The day after Christmas saw me catching up with some of my other friends, exchanging gifts and generally just chilling out!!

As the Christmas festivities end and the New Year festivities are seen around the corner, I would like to wish everyone the very best for the future and peace to all…