Tuesday, December 25, 2012

HO! HO! HO!

Growing up in a convent school, has its many many hours of fun and nostalgia.

 
Christmas season was the best of all. There would be plays, complete with songs, some students playing the piano, the guitar and lots of singing in that choir'ish voice.
There was that spirit of joy, the smiles that spread wide and so much cheer.

I remember going to the chapel (our school had a beautiful campus, with so much of green.) The chapel would be decorated so colourfully. The green of the christmas trees, the pine plants, the red streamers, ribbons, glitter and white of the cottonwool too. Nothing expensive but beautiful nevertheless.

The hours we'd spend making the nativity scene, using brown wrappng paper, colors and crushing them to look like a cave. Who would have thought that this festival was a celebration for Christians bringing in the birth of Jesus. We grew up with faith instiled in us. We grew up with belief. We knew the truth about Santa..but yet rejoiced and were so thrilled to see a Santa coming along with a huge red bag filled with candies and gifts) There would be a day where less fortunate ones woul dbe invited for lunch and would be given gifts too. It broadened our views on giving.


The tradition has carried on with my children too. They have their Christmas parties while in smaller classes and as they grew older they got involved with the lunches for the old age home the school organised. Each year, they come back with a small goodie bag with a fruit cake and some cookies. Its nostalgic.
I wouldn't have a Christmas in any other way. I still look forward to the day with the same enthusiasm. The gifts and cheer is contagious.

But times have changed now I see. The belief is diluted. When my son was in kindergarten, the Santa for their school party was but naturally the plump little teacher who was built tall. My son had come back home that day with a frown on his face, which i've never been able to change so far. " The santa in our school is a girl" he'd come back all forlorn..and i'd smiled and asked how can he say that? And he'd said "I saw the earrings and it IS Gina ma'ms."

Last year we had organised a Christmas party in our Apartment Complex, and to our horror, the Sanat turned out to be a scrawny, small built young boy, who went around pinching the kids. Where has the joy gone? I 'd felt like asking him, but then I realised, he has not been to a school and might never have seen a Santa at all..so how would he know?

8 years have passed and now he knows there is no real Santa..but i'm glad he's as mad as his mom..and still smiles wide when he sees a Santa Claus going past.
So now I get to baking an Oreo Brownie, a recipe that has been eyeing me from the time it was posted on Saffron Trails blog. I shall make some mulled wine too, thanks to bloggers who are helpful enough to put up the 'How to'

MERRY CHRISTMAS FOLKS' AND LIVE IN GOOD CHEER. BE JOYOUS, BE HAPPY AND KEEP THAT SMILE ALL AROUND, YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN SANTA'S GONNA COME VISITING.


My 25th post a celbratory one for this festive season and for the Marathon Bloggers

5 comments:

Sirisha said...

Merry Christmas! :D

Unknown said...

I wish his school teachers had taken little more care while cheering the kids. :( Hope you have a great christmas

Jandy said...

so agree with you. it's about wanting to believe in something good and some magic out there - and to find ways about making ourselves happy.

Swati Raman Garg said...

hoo on that santa.. but am glad the little one loves seeing santas.. and u know what i have also been eyeing that brownie for some time now!

Krishna Patel said...

Merry Christmas and wishing you a very happy new year in advance