Varied Xmas traditions

Stars, trinkets and gifts. The homes are decked up and the cakes are ready for Christmas and as families in the city prepare for the festival, they tell us more about tradition and how they go about the season of joy. For some, the celebrations are month-long. Hannah Norling, a working professional, says, “A month before Christmas we actually make a list of the Christmas movies and then as a family, we watch all of them.

The Christmas tree in our home is put up right after Thanksgiving. The festival is all about family traditions, lots of carol singing and taking part in church activities. On Christmas morning, gifts are exchanged among all family members. We also make sure that on the day of the festival, we indulge in a lot of charitable activities. And of course, Christmas is incomplete without food. Our kitchen turns into a bakery at this time of the year with all the cakes and delicacies being prepared.” For photographer Rebbeca Aishwarya, too, the preparations are on since a month. She says, “The tree in our home is put up on December 2. We decorate our home completely.

On Christmas, we go to the church in the morning, followed by a visit to our grandparents. Plum cakes have to be a part of Christmas and we go around distributing cakes, sweets and wine too amongst our friends.”But the spirit of Christmas extends beyond the boundaries of religion. Followers of Christianity or not, everyone latches on to the Yuletide spirit.

Business woman Cherry Pestonji has been celebrating Christmas from as long as she can remember. “Our family has been following this tradition for long. We set up the Christmas tree and it’s usually there till at least the first week of January. The day is made special for the kids in the family. In fact, I remember when we were kids, dad used to ring a bell in the night as he would be placing the gifts under the tree and we would actually believe that it’s Santa Claus.”

And the day is all about  spending time with one’s family and friends.“Christmas brunch as a family has been a tradition every year. We never used to celebrate. But my sister-in-law who moved in last October has been putting up a beautiful tree for two years now.

Unlike most other Christmas trees where it’s just the regular ornaments, my sister-in-law decks up the tree with lights and other things that she collects throughout the year, each of which has a story. She also asks each family member to contribute one ornament that signifies something important that has happened to us that year,” says Priyanka Chigurupati.