Our Christmas Tradition

For me, Christmas is all about family. We start by putting up the Christmas Tree in early December. We get together to string the lights around the tree first.
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Then we hang the ornaments one by one, recounting with fondness the memories of each. Some of the ornaments on our tree are from when I was a young girl myself and now we have mementos from our own children’s births and toddler years. We have two jingle bells like those on Santa’s sleigh to remind our children that they must believe in the magic of Christmas. If they can hear the bells ring, then they believe – like in Polar Express.

Of course, while we’re decorating, we always throw on the holiday tunes to get us into the spirit. A little Vince Gueraldi, Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, Bruce Springsteen – you can’t go wrong with these guys. None of that cheesy Christmas music that makes you want to cringe.

Holiday shopping is fun as long as you don’t let it wait until the last minute so it becomes stressful. Finding the perfect gift for each person is actually fun! We have a tradition of mixing gag gifts with the real ones just to add some laughter into the mix. My daughter has been gifted cucumbers and paneer by her cousins for the past few years because she loves them so much! This year she got them back by wrapping up some chicken legs and throwing them under the tree!

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Later we decorate the house – giving it a festive facelift with lots of bold red, green and white to bring the look of the season into our home. It brings back memories of the beautiful green holly trees with their bright red berries set against a blanket of snow. So beautiful!

After that comes the stockings– one for each of us, unique and fun. We have neither a mantel nor a fireplace so we hang them on our large curio cabinet in the hall. The children figure Santa is sure to see them there as they are visible from where we’ve placed the tree.

Then we hang the mistletoe. This is the fun part. Anyone caught under the mistletoe must be kissed. Two people under the mistletoe must kiss each other! So, be careful!

Now that the house is all set, we start baking. Christmas cookies are a favourite with our friends. I love them because they make the house smell like Christmas. Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, ginger. This holiday masala also makes for a great cup of Christmas chai!  We make peppermint ice cream and I start adding peppermint, cinnamon and nutmeg to my coffee. Such a treat! We usually make a bread pudding with a festive sauce for dessert, but this year we went with a cheesecake served with blackberry sauce and cinnamon rum sauce. It was yummy!

On Christmas Eve, we put out cookies, milk and carrots/cucumbers for Santa and the reindeer.  My daughter wrote him a card begging for a pet dog this year. Then, once they go to sleep, our work starts. Like little elves, we wrap all of the gifts and fill the stockings and manage the treats for Santa and his reindeer. By the time the sun rises, the tree has at least 50 gifts under it of all shapes and sizes. There are gifts for our friends, our family members, our employees and our domestic staff. Every gift goes under the tree as a way of ‘blessing’ it before gifting it, for an added wish of happiness and love.

I am always up early on Christmas morning to start making food and to get pictures of the children as they run for their stockings. Then our family comes and we enjoy a huge brunch with a waffle bar, stewed fruit, breakfast casserole, quiche, bacon, croissants, juice and a full coffee bar.  We then open gifts by round robin youngest to oldest. The only rule is you can’t pick a gift that is for yourself. The best part is watching a person’s expression when they open a gift you gave them. It is such a good feeling to see the smile and glint in the eyes of someone who is happy. I believe the happiness is not so much because they got something new as it is that you knew them well enough to give them something that they would want. It means you really care.

After the gifts are opened, we have coffee to rev up for our own quirky tradition of playing a familiy cricket match! It’s always so beautiful and sunny on Christmas in Delhi, so we love to burn off some of the calories from brunch while teasing each other about our cricket skills (or, in my case, lack thereof).

Then we come back in, relax for awhile and start the preparation for a huge family Christmas dinner. Yes, I know. More food!!!  But if we didn’t over stuff ourselves, how would we be so focused on our new year resolutions?  Once we’re all sufficiently stuffed, we throw on our jammies and play some sort of game. Sometimes its Quirkle, or Pictionary or Taboo or even Poker. Whatever everyone’s in the mood for at the time.

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So that’s our Christmas tradition. I love it because we’re able to give the children roots – something that is our own and special to us. A day with family that is filled with fun and love and happiness.  That’s why we made our Christmas Charms – sterling silver mementos of the special feeling that the holidays bring. They are great on a bracelet, a necklace, an anklet or even on earrings and they make great Christmas gifts too!

How do you spend your holidays?  We’d love to hear your story!

– R

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