Fa la la la la, la la la la

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Christmas is one of my favorite days of the year. It brings back memories of family, singing and lots and lots of food. Though part of a Hindu family, I was lucky enough to have aunts and uncles ,who had married into other religions . This gave me the chance not only to experience the joys of their festivals , but also understand and expand my views on god and beliefs. Christmas for me is always in rooted in Bangalore. We used to camp out there with my uncle and grandma for the holidays. The cold winter nights punctuated with laughter, singing and a whole lot of fruit cake, made the environment cozier than Yule log fireplace.

The festivities started with the humongous Christmas tree, my uncle put up. I always used to wish I could grow up and look like the angel on top of the tree. Not to mention the blond hair, I still envy the expression of happiness on her face. All of us had a task assigned, either be it decorating the tree, helping out with the huge Christmas lunch the next day or as simple a joining the group who were singing carol. Though I am musically challenged like my mom, just singing as a group was enough to get the spirits up. The best part of it was my grandmom, who till she passed away when she was 94 was the strongest voice of us all. She could sing in different languages and knew the origin of each song. As she knitted, and my cousins strummed the guitar, the family from every corner of the room would lend their voices to silent night, Rudolf , white Christmas and the finale with Jingle bells. Christmas morning was the best time with gifts being unwrapped and tried out. Each of us got a present, with a wink from my uncle, who was sure Santa was happy with us that year, but next year we better watch out. Of course as my cousins dressed in their Christmas best, went to church, we were left to munch on the cakes and kalkals.We were pretty much stuffed when they returned. But we had to make room for the Christmas lunch. By the end of that day it was a miracle if anyone could walk or even stand without tipping over. But on the other hand, we also learnt the gift of sharing . I call it a gift because from a young age, to understand the power of giving and sharing, made me learn a core lesson, that helped me across other situations.

As the years drew on, and we couldn’t spend every Christmas with my relatives, my mom and I used to wait till 11PM on Christmas eve, to listen to the Carols on radio FM. The announcer used to prattle off the songs for the next hour, with as much enthusiasm as a person who is waiting for the end of a long work day. But as we sang our hearts out to the carols, messed up the words and finally the tune , nothing mattered more than the joy those words gave us. The almost hushed tone of silent nights to the bright gaiety of Felice Navidad seemed to make it seem almost like we were with family. Christmas day was always filled with sunshine in Chennai and I truly wished for a White Christmas.

But after coming to the states and seeing the Christmas celebration in full flow, I must say that it made me terribly homesick. I used to sob every time “I’ll be home for Christmas came on the radio” ,considering the number of times it gets played here, it used to be once every 5 minutes. But again as the years pass, for me so far away from home, it those memories of the Christmas past, that makes it all warm inside for me. So as I take in this year with the terrible Mumbai attacks and the global recession , I take this occasion to thank every person in my life. Their unconscious sharing of their happiness and life, makes each day much better to live in. I also would like to thank each one of you who read this blog too. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas with me. I hope that next year is bigger and brighter for all of us in every aspect of our life .

So before I get too sentimental and start humming “I’ll be home” again, I just wanted to say

“Merry Christmas and Happy New Year”

I would also specifically like to thank Barath for the The Freedom and independent award.. you made my day and my week :D!.

As usual, this goes out to all my blogger pals out there.

For the smile

REINDEER
According to the Alaskan Department of Fish and game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid December. Female reindeer retain their antlers 'till after they give birth in the spring.
Therefore, according to every historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, every single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen had to be a girl.
We should've known! Only women would be able to drag a fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night, and NOT GET LOST.

IMMEDIATE DOWNSIZING MEASURES EMPLOYED

The recent announcement that Donner and Blitzen have elected to take the early reindeer retirement package has triggered a good deal of concern about whether they will be replaced, and about other restructuring
decisions at the North Pole.

Streamlining is due to the North Pole's loss of dominance of this season's gift distribution business. Home shopping channels, the Internet, and mail order catalogs have diminished Santa's market share. He could not sit idly by and permit further erosion of the profit picture.

The reindeer downsizing was made possible through the purchase of a late model Japanese sled for the CEO's annual trip. Improved productivity from Dasher and Dancer--who will retrain at the Harvard Business
School--is anticipated. Reduction in reindeer will also lessen airborne environmental emissions for which the North Pole has received unfavorable press.

I am pleased to inform you that Rudolph's role will not be disturbed. Tradition still counts for something at the North Pole.

Keep Smiling ppl and Remember to light a lamp or candle for Peace
Anu