This Christmas...

Christmas was never a big deal for me. Back in my school days, it was just a holiday. The concept of Santa and Christmas did not come through strong enough to register the same kind of enthusiasm I would have for Holi or Deepavali or even Sankranti, despite the carol singing in the school assembly and the Santa giving us candy at school and at the community Club. I guess my lack of enthusiasm was owing mostly to the quality of candy…it was usually the sour kind with an occasional piece of toffee thrown in.

Then came the US years which, ironically, added to my disillusionment of the whole Christmas hullaballoo. The way I saw it back then, it was just a whole lot of shopping, lots of fake sparkly stuff that would stick to you all the time, writing out cards that didn’t really say anything meaningful, feeling left out and not getting the whole drama…and yes, the unbearable cold. The only thing I liked was the snow and, this time, the candy :D By the end of my four years, though, I was sufficiently converted…made a few friends, got into the spirit of exchanging greeting cards, began to understand the romance of the sparkles and the lights and the tinsel and the wrapping paper and the piney, minty scent. A trip to NYC around that time really added to my joy…I still love lit up cities in chilly evenings (Ooooooh! I never get tired of the view of a lit-up Hussein Sagar in the winter evenings). The Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Centre, the people skating at the rink, the brilliant lights at Times Square and the bustling people in that busy corner of the world…and watching all this sipping Dunkin’ Donuts’ Vanilla Chai off of their “Styrofoam” cups…aaah bliss! :D Isn’t it ironic that I’m actually getting nostalgic for my days in the US? Weird how shit works out. 

And yes, after coming back to India, I guess I turned more “American” thanks to finally being able to watch TV! Despite all that HCU did and all the dissecting and analyzing and DE-CONSTRUCTING, all of sudden, today, the Christmas thing did creep up on me. Perhaps it was just the extra bite in today’s chill, perhaps it was just leisurely sipping the morning chai with my parents and talking or maybe it was the unexpected tears at the thought of a colleague moving away, who has managed to become quite dear in only a month and a half…or perhaps it was all this and so much more. But today, my favorite Christmas song is stuck in my head and I’ve been humming it all day. It just about sums up how I feel today…a quite, calm happiness. Merry Christmas, people! Wish you all a wonderful time filled with beautiful moments that give you a lifetime of happiness.