Of Christmases past.

I always get sentimental at Christmas. Like in the old christmas song.
But my thoughts get lost as there is always a lot to do.
Cooking. Shopping. Packing. Decorating. Visiting. Taking care of guests. Travelling.
Being taken care of. Planning. Ah! the list goes on and on.
One evening during our family chats, Mother exclaims that Christmas is her favourite festive occasion because people are all so nice, so cheerful, so courteous...even normally bitter people come alive somehow.
And I couldn't help but laugh at her observation but it is true. Haven't you noticed?
People are all in no hurry even though they hurry through their shopping, whole families out with the nannies and maids too tagging along. There is much cheer in the air. Nice smells. Smiles all around. Happy chit-chats. Even the local butcher is a cheerful person for once, indulging in friendly banter instead of shoving the unwanted meat portions at you with the "take it or leave it" attitude and face.
Colors and lights. I love standing on my balcony night after night as soon as December hits Kohima and check out the houses around mine all lit up. And listen to old records of Boney M and Jim Reeves.

Thanks to Hornbill, Christmas lights come up even earlier. And the fireworks....Minus the noise and the pollution would be perfect. We as a people haven't really evolved. Only adopted modern ways minus the sensibilities that go with it. Almost the neo-Punjabis. No offence intended but aren't we as a people gravitating towards pomp, loudness and show nowadays? Anything for Christmas I'd say.
In my family at least, the amount of pork we consume has come down. I remember previous Christmases when we would sit down and do the Festive budget: how many cakes to buy, lists of families and relatives to visit, sugar for Granma, soap for our favourite Aunt, chickens, pork, beef and Christmas decor. Also feast donations for the church, colony children's gathering.

The week before Christmas would be spent shopping, squeezing in the annual trip to Dimapur and cleaning meat for drying and for cooking. Wrapping cakes and gifts to be given away. A trip into the wilds for local holly and of course, decorating the Christmas tree in the living room and putting up the quintessential Christmas star and light. Until early 2000, we would hunt out and cut a live pine for the tree but we now have a fake but lively looking tree. After all, it's the thought that matters right?

Last Christmas, I was on a plane for 16 plus hours, battling dehydration, kidneys acting up and a bad back. Hungry and couldn't buy food because my plastics refused to work and they wouldn't accept cash on the plane. To top it all, a very sour air hostess who yelled at me when I asked for water to drink for the third time. I guess I was being a pain. But I did meet another flight attendant who treated me to a deliciously filling turkey sandwich but whom I had to run out on to catch my next flight. Thank you and I hope he didn't get into trouble for the sandwich I didn't get to pay for {not that I didn't offer to pay but they refused cash :( }

This Christmas was a lot different and yet quite like the others too.
Less pork of course but our relatives weren't deterred in sending us more pork and the cakes arrived as usual. A lot of traffic. In and out. We made kemenya* rice cakes as usual and sent out to family and friends on Christmas eve, stopping everywhere for tea and chitchat. That's always fun. How I have missed Christmas at home.

Last year, my Christmas was a journey back but this year, I got to be home, with my loved ones and family. I couldn't have asked for a better year. I thank God for that.
Merry Christmas to everyone. And I hope you find a reason to smile and make someone smile too this season.

*sticky rice