You could say the two are intertwined– as nights get increasingly longer and colder, our hearts light up with festive cheer and a childlike anticipation of Christmas. Believers and non-believers, traditional and the modern alike start counting down the days to ‘Bara-din’ as it is known in India. Streets, public places, and many private residences are strewn with twinkling fairy lights that shine the warmest glow. Glittering decorations in red, blue, green, and yellow emit their cheerful metallic shine from Christmas trees that spring up everywhere. Then, there is Santa Claus, possibly the most-recognized icon of Christmas in India, roly-poly and extremely child-friendly in all his avatars. Finally, when local cake shops start displaying their seemingly endless ware of delicious cakes, you know it’s Christmas time, for sure.
In this festival-themed blog, you will find a bucket list of activities that you can plan out for your loved ones through the month of December right up to Christmas.
Why not make this the most- memorable holiday season with some timeless traditions?
Bake Christmas Cake – Bring some Christmas magic into your home with the baking of Christmas Cake. In many countries, families get together to bake Christmas cookies and create gingerbread houses. In India, householders bake Christmas cakes, probably due to our British influence. The history of Christmas Cake can be traced to medieval England. The original Christmas cake was a plum porridge made with oats, dried fruits, spices, and honey. Did you know Christmas cakes are made in advance? Many bake them in November, flagging off the process by soaking the dried fruits in alcohol or fruit juice. It is a fun ritual in households, an indication that Christmas is round the corner. After the cake is baked, it is kept upside down in an airtight container and drizzled with alcohol from time to time. Right until Christmas, a small amount of brandy, sherry or whisky is poured every week into holes made in the cake. This process is called “feeding” the cake. You may also use fruit juice in place of alcohol – apple juice, orange juice, or grape juice with a dash of lemon works fine.
Sing Christmas Carols and Listen to Holiday Music – It’s the season to sing your favourite Christmas carols that you may have been practising for weeks. Assuming it is cold enough in your city or town, bring out your Christmas-themed mugs, pour in hot cocoa, add marshmallows and settle down for an in-house performance. Nothing could set the mood better. If you are disinclined to sing aloud, let your playlist of classic Christmas numbers take over. Whether or not you have a party going, you can just sing and dance along to some wonderful Christmas songs from around the world and get into the holiday spirit.
Make Christmas Decorations – DIY is always special when it comes to decorations. Choose from beautiful paper chains and adorable crafts of Christmas trees, stars, mobiles, snowflakes, snowmen and more. You can forage the net for thousands of ideas from easy-peasy to advanced that can be made with paper, glue, and some twine or string. It’s a rather simple and fabulous way of bonding with the family. With decorations set up, the whole house looks picturesque and Christmas-ready.
Decorate the house and Christmas tree – Decorating the house and tree for Christmas amounts to a lot of fun, no matter what your age, and the same goes for the Christmas tree. There are thousands of lovely ideas on the net to set up your house for Christmas from simple to extreme. But it is best to start with a checklist of the basics. Our experts recommend a few basic tips – Clean clutter and organize. Set your space to a festive mood. Check your tree and do it up. Make your house cozy and inviting. Prepare to entertain with genuine warmth.
Send Christmas Cards – Not many do this nowadays but the charm of sending and receiving Christmas cards is absolutely magical. A Christmas card is a part of traditional Christmas celebrations and still remains a greeting that conveys a range of sentiments. Did you know there’s a specific way of giving a Christmas card? You affix the card to a gift – a bottle of wine, a favourite hard liquor or even a tin of favourite coffee. Seltzers, sodas, and other beverages are also perfect options. Impersonal messages are best avoided and remember to include a lovely closing salutation.
Exchange Christmas Gifts – People have been exchanging gifts at Christmas as part of a long-standing tradition. This charming gesture of planning, preparing or buying, and gifting your family and friends has carried on over the centuries, though trends and tastes of presents have kept shifting. To Christians, this tradition has a direct reference to the Three Wise Men who presented gifts to the baby Jesus after his birth. The Bible’s New Testament describes how the Three Magi – Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar — journeyed to the location of Jesus’s birth with a bright star in the night sky guiding them. Upon their arrival, they presented baby Jesus in the manger with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Today, more and more people enjoy exchanging Christmas gifts with a larger social circle of friends and family, co-workers and business associates.
Hang up the Advent Wreath – The hanging up of the Advent Wreath is symbolic of the passage of the four weeks of Advent. The circular shape represents eternity, a reminder of God’s infinite love and presence in our lives, and resurrection. Greenery stands for hope and everlasting life, while the candles represent the light that Jesus brought into the world, and a growing anticipation of Christmas. This devotional and spiritual tradition started way back in the Middle Ages in family settings but is today a widespread ritual of public worship.
Watch Classic Christmas Films – Think ‘Elf’ and ‘The Grinch’ and many more. We think snuggling up with a warm blanket and watching a classic Christmas movie is certainly a great way to set the tone for the festival. Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Disney + Hotstar have some lovely streaming options of our all-time favourites. ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ remains a classic that still deserves an annual viewing over the holiday season. In India, you can rent it for a modest sum on Amazon Prime or YouTube.
Drive around to see the Christmas Lights – A holiday tradition in the United States and some other countries, this is surely worth borrowing. Most Indian metros are suitably dressed up for the occasion and it’s a lovely idea to drive around slightly later in the night when the crowds are lesser to see the Christmas lights. Some spectacular light displays as well as simple traditional ones in your city are bound to gladden your heart and wrap your festive season in a pretty bow – or, glow. Tip – check for safety advice and driving permissions before fixing the route.
Attend the Midnight Mass or a Church Service – Midnight Mass is a Christmas Eve church service that honours the birth of Jesus Christ. It’s a popular tradition in many Western Christian denominations and is celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, and Lutheran Churches. Midnight Mass is a time for Christians to reflect on the birth of Jesus and prepare for Christmas Day that falls on the day after. The tradition is rooted in religious significance and tradition, and the timing of the service is symbolic. Expect churches with packed pews and a general childlike enthusiasm of Christmas.
Sharing Their Christmas Memories
- Arthur Cardozo, Brand Consultant and Fitness Coach
The aroma of sweet spices and rum-soaked dried fruit wafts through my mind, transporting me back to Christmas seasons of my childhood. Our home would transform into a cozy bakery, filled with laughter and anticipation as Mom, Dad, and my sisters gathered around the kitchen table, eager to begin our annual tradition. We’d prepare the dried fruit mix, carefully measuring out raisins, currants, and cranberries. The pièce de résistance was soaking them in rum, its rich scent filling the air. Then, we’d stir and let it sit. As winter nights fell, we headed to the local baker, queueing up alongside neighbours and friends. The cold air would crisp our cheeks, but excitement kept us warm. Finally, when our turn arrived, the baker’s skilled hands would expertly combine our precious ingredients of flour, sugar, eggs, essence and rum-infused fruit mix, and we’d watch as our cakes took shape. The wait seemed eternal, but the reward was worth it. When the cakes were ready, we’d collect them, wrapped in brown paper and twine. The first whiff of warm spices and caramelized sugar sent shivers down our spines. Mom would let us slice into the cake, releasing a fragrant cloud that filled our home. Those childhood memories remain etched in my heart: laughter, love, and the simple joy of creating something special together. Even now, as the holiday season approaches, I find myself craving the comfort of those memories. The aroma of rum-soaked dried fruit and sweet spices beckons me back to a time when life was simpler, and love was abundant.
2. Mrs. Namita Biswas, Educationist
One of the most delightful memories of my childhood Christmas in Berhampore is that of Christmas carols floating to our ears from our neighbours. Each household was joyfully singing to welcome the best of the year. It was customary to call on one another and sing carols together, and this never failed to create a warm and cozy atmosphere on cold winter evenings. There was a palpable sense of joy and good cheer that started weeks ahead of Christmas as we went about cleaning and decorating our house. My parents got us brand new clothes to wear for Christmas. There was much eating and feasting -’ Payesh’ (kheer), varieties of ‘pithe’, and cake were part of the elaborate menu. Come to think of it, they tasted far better during Christmas than they did at other times of the year! Cake, in copious amounts, was prepared at home. Everyone pitched in to help with the baking. My mother, who supervised the process, would go around delegating jobs to us – while one powdered the sugar, another sieved the refined flour, and yet another measured out the dried fruits. Sometimes, there was a neighbour or cousin who dropped in to help. It was a happy festive time when family and friends bonded with one another and created memories together.
3. Chef Shaun Kenworthy
I grew up in Manchester. My grandmother was an exceptionally great cook and there was something always cooking in her kitchen. As my mother used to work, I spent a good deal of time with my grandmother. I was close to her and on school holidays, I was usually hanging around in her house, particularly her kitchen. I remember baking fruit cake with her during the Christmas season. Being an old-school cook, Gram always “knocked up” the Christmas cake and kept it well drizzled with alcohol till Christmas day. The fruit cake that she made was crammed with raisins, black currants, glazed cherries, some heavenly orange zest and I can never forget its incredible taste.
4. Chef Pradip Rozario
The mention of Christmas takes me back to my childhood in Ranaghat when a flurry of activity and happy anticipation would engulf the entire family. I grew up with my extended family and we were an active, restless brood of youngsters who just couldn’t wait for Christmas day to arrive. Inextricably linked to the festival were fabulous eats – what’s a festive occasion without great food for any Bengali, anyway? My grandparents would get busy preparing the menu that consisted of plenty of traditional goodies like ‘pithe’ and Christmas cake. The best-available ingredients were sourced and carefully sorted out for the dishes. We watched with bated breath as Thakurda (Grandfather) fished out a large bowl. In went flour, eggs, butter, powdered sugar, all the ingredients one by one. Then, he would encourage us to take charge and mix them up. It was an absolute honour as my siblings, cousins, and I set about beating the mixture with gusto, our fingers shaking with excitement. When it was finally done, he set it in a baking dish that was then placed in a modest wood-fire oven that we had at home. Usually, this was after my grandmother was done with her day’s cooking and the fire was nice and warm and not seething, the temperature just right for baking the cake. As minutes passed, the most-heavenly aroma of baked cake filled our senses, floating in from the courtyard where the oven was. I still remember the magical aura it created on the winter night just ahead of Christmas.
Picture courtesy : Antaripa Mukherjee and Neha Karmakar
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