Indeed it is! Even the weather’s looking up in our beloved Mumbai city… sometimes when we least expect it, there’s a nice (almost!) cold breeze…
My house is totally decorated already - we always decorate by the first week of December - as it the fabulous prize-winning window display at the store ‘Damian’. (I’ll see if I can get some pics later).
I’m so excited about Christmas that I’m starting a whole new category here at tvimh dedicated to this wonderful season of love & peace.
Here’s a couple of things I suggest you do to start off the season on the right note:
(01) Decorate, decorate, decorate!!!
I know it can be quite a pain getting all the Christmas things out & decorating all the nooks and crannies of your home - but when it’s done it can truly life your spirit like nothing else (the more crazy things you do, the better!)! I suggest having a “decorating party” - it’s a great thing for the whole family to do together - but if for any reason your family can’t make it, then invite a couple of friends and in between snacking on Christmas sweets (more on this later) get everyone to put up the decorations with you. Then the next day you all could move the party to another person’s house until all your homes are Chrismassed!
(02) Get your freak on!
(random image pulled off the net!)
I seriously go crazy over Christmas carols! What an amazingly easy way to transport yourself into times past, to be with people loved (regardless of where they are right now), to be “in” the Christmas spirit. If you’ve got WorldSpace, then there’s a 24 hour Christmas carol channel - or invest in a good set of Christmas CDs, past & present.
(03) Forget the diet!
Ok, actually, you shouldn’t completely forget the diet… but still, it is the holidays!! Don’t worry too much about adding on the extra kgs - what’s Christmas without our delicious Indian Christmas sweets - neoris, kal-kals, marzepans, chocolate & chocolate-walnut fudge and of course, most people’s favorite - milk creams!! (yummmmmmmm). You can also go global & make some more international treats like ginger-bread men, candy canes & sugar cut-out cookies (great fun for the family!). Here’s where I get my Christmas recipes from.
(04) See it on screen
I love Christmas movies so much, I literally watch them the whole year through! This year, there are a couple of new releases which you can snuggle up with a loved one & watch:
Deck the Halls, The Nativity Story, The Santa Clause 3 and what I’m REALLY waiting for (hope it’s not dissapointing) - The Holiday.
Ofcourse, all the olden goldies like ‘It’s a wonderful life’, ‘Miracle on 34th Street’, ‘The Santa Clause’ (if you haven’t seen the first part, you should!). As for me - the utterly butterly romantic-comedy Christmas lover, it’ll be ‘While you were Sleeping’ (my all time favorite movie ever) and any other movie, where boy meets girls & they fall in love during Christmas, lots of nice decorations everywhere in the movie, snow falling, carols playing. Ahhhh.
Finally (for today at least) (05) Don’t forget the reason for the season!
It’s so easy to get caught up in all the merry making that we forget that Christmas should be about Christ - about His birth, His Presence among us even today. Christians, Catholics and even non-Catholics alike should make it a time to thank God for all the abundant blessings received throughout the year, to pray for peace, to forgive and to mend bridges.
(Watch this space, more Christmassy stuff soon!)
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December 9th, 2006 at 1:14 pm
yummy, Kuswar also dont forget the Nativity story (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0762121/) that comes out this December. Love December.
December 9th, 2006 at 1:20 pm
Ho ho ho! Already started with the merry-making, eh? Seasons greetings!
December 9th, 2006 at 2:17 pm
And yes, I love December too!
@ Prasil: Who you calling a ho? Sorry, couldn’t resist that
December 9th, 2006 at 3:32 pm
Yay, Christmas! My favouritest day of the last week of December.
So Mel, you seem all geared up for the season. Lookin forward to more posts from you here… I seem to have lost my touch for commentin on ur posts
Poor lil me 
One point I’d like to make though - (03) Forget the diet? What diet? Do you even remember it?
Have a merry, merry Christmas. And now, go sing some Melodyous carols.
(Random comment pulled out of my brain!)
December 9th, 2006 at 3:42 pm
Oops sorry, I missed that.
December 9th, 2006 at 6:13 pm
Yay tis that time of the year.. with Lexus ads to buy expensive cars for your loved ones, or $200 gifts for your 2 yr old kids..
*sigh* aren’t we too commercial already?
heres to a happy holidays all
December 10th, 2006 at 12:21 am
‘Damian’…the furniture store right??? Man I miss Bombay…I miss Bandra…Dec is my fav month!!!! fun..holidays…snow….garam chai…gifts…family…ohh & Christmas Movies….
as always Lovely post Melody
December 10th, 2006 at 2:46 am
Spread the cheer ….Spread the beer !! he he he ..
December 10th, 2006 at 3:22 pm
oh man i miss bombay and bandra ! dec/jan are so much fun in bombay/bandra !!! such awesome weather !
eyy melody do u know the lyrics to that “i’ll take you to banra and show you my sandra song ?”
i forgot how it goes and i so badly want to hum it !!
December 10th, 2006 at 11:56 pm
Yes you always know Christmas is around the corner when Damians starts to decorate their window. Sadly I’m going miss all Christmas goodies this year bc of my recovery diet regimen. Anyways Happy Holidays
December 11th, 2006 at 11:18 am
@ Mario: lol, no worries
@ bloodmire: Yes, it has unfortunately become ridiculously commercial… hence the need for #5 on my list. You possibly may like to read this:
http://www.glorify-god.com/articles/mw_dec04.html
December 11th, 2006 at 11:25 am
And ty, glad you liked the post!
@ Lothario: Well, will spread the cheer at least…
@ inexile:
“Darling open the door, darling open the door, why are you angry so? I will take you to Dadar and show you my father, why are you angry so?”
“Darling open the door, darling open the door, why are you angry so? I will take you to Bandra and show you my Sandra, why are you angry so?”
Darn. Now I’m going to be singing that in my head the whole day. grrrrr.
@ Akshay: Well hon, your health is of prime importance - if I’m around next year, you’re already invited to come over & eat sweets then!
December 11th, 2006 at 12:19 pm
Hehehe Cute post…and very inspiring…already drawing plans with my partner in crime (my bro of course!) for the decorations and the crib! Nothing like a little teamwork eh!
December 11th, 2006 at 2:00 pm
ohh yes yes Melody…plsssss do try n click pics ..wud be sooo nice..childhood memories revisited..thankss…
December 11th, 2006 at 7:08 pm
where did ur latest BFF go?
December 11th, 2006 at 7:10 pm
Mel… I’m moving BACK to Mumbai - which is home
so hell yeah it’s already grown on me. It’s super to be back - missed home a lot and it’s the bestest city in the wurrld. Ho Ho Ho. Great to see u riding the yuletide already!
December 11th, 2006 at 7:32 pm
Sigh. Why do I ALWAYS have THAT image of you stuck in my mind??? lol
@ Mehak:
Ah darling, if you’re asking, how can I say no?! Will do soon, I promise.
@ Slo: You saw that?!!!! Let’s just say the latest BFF saw the post almost as soon as I posted it, she called & made me delete it. I was SO CERTAIN no one would have even seen it. lol.
@ Kaushal: Ah! Nice to know you’re a Mumbaiite! And yes, it is the BESTEST city in the world isn’t it?!
(Dude, who yer calling a ho??)
December 11th, 2006 at 8:04 pm
read the article, would u believe i used to be an altar boy in St Peters church bandra.. lol
December 11th, 2006 at 11:52 pm
Melo - What a bloody pain in the tusshie your latest (possibly) BFF sounds to be.
December 12th, 2006 at 12:05 am
@ Saks: Yes, kya kare?
December 12th, 2006 at 10:14 am
I’m not religious but Christmas (all of December actually) is always a time of happy nostalgia for me. I usually spend the day with a close Catholic friend, making marzipan, drinking wine and dancing. Here’s to a lovely December to you, Mel!
December 12th, 2006 at 11:27 am
December 12th, 2006 at 4:35 pm
how can i ever thank you for this !!!
December 12th, 2006 at 9:32 pm
December 21st, 2006 at 3:34 pm
Nice website. came here looking for a shop in bombay where I could buy christmas sweets. Do you know one? please please?
December 27th, 2006 at 3:29 pm
January 14th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
Thanks Melody, I finally ended up getting loads of sweets from I.C. Colony another pocket of mumbai with lots of Catholics. btw, came onto ur blog searching for christmas sweets on google but am reading it quite regularly now. Great going!!
January 15th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
Am so glad you’re enjoying the blog, thx