YULETIDE – By Charmaine Candappa
The season of Christmas has begun and the shops, are full of sales, and beautiful Yuletide décor, leading up to Christmas Day. Store decorations and Christmas items begin their seasonal debut as early as October, and enticing sales are everywhere. The Malls are filled with a variety of seasonal goodies for shoppers, as it is in many countries during this time of the year. Celebrations begin with parties and events at this festive time. Tasting eggnog is part of the traditions that enhance the holidays. As the season of goodwill begins, Christmas wreaths appear on door fronts. At night time the yards of homes are all aglow with Snowman, Santa, and candy cane railings, and Christmas ornaments, the entire house on the outside is decked with twinkling festive lights. Even trees and hedges are artistically wrapped and lit up with colored lights.
The magic that fills the Christmas season is something that I enjoy when I visit the home of Rohan & Angie, and his mom Bernie, SriLankans living in Pasadena, California. The entire family delights in decorating their home with a whole array of festive embellishments. Every inch of the huge Christmas tree is filled with twinkling lights, hanging shiny baubles, and colorful glass ornaments. The green of the tree is hardly exposed, bringing home the sparkle and the magic of the season. A whole lot of “snow globes are scattered around the home. There is also a whole vintage looking train set spread across a large area of the dining room, with miniature trains that work, alongside train stations, like the proper ones with signals, guards, and people. The lamp lights on posts are lit, all along a whole line of train stops. I can only imagine the time and patience in fixing all of this, but Rohan and his team of elves do it effortlessly and cheerfully. It’s a painstaking work of creativity indeed, which the guests who are invited to a sit down scrumptious Christmas lunch, voice their appreciation with a whole lot of “oohs and ahhs”.
As a child my fondest memories of the season is spent in Sri Lanka, and the days leading up to Christmas. My father would take out the frame of the crib that is tucked away each year after the season, and stored somewhere in the shed behind our home. He would get my older brothers, or the driver William who drove the family car, to paint the frame of the crib, and paste black cartridge paper around its frame. A silver painting of the Nativity scene during Christ’s time is glued far back of the crib frame that has been fixed in place. I loved the tinsel star that my father placed on top of the crib. It was well reinforced with wire to stay firm throughout the Christmas season. I’d think about my favorite part of the Nativity story. The star of Bethlehem burning bright in the East, and guiding the wise men to the Christ child. As a child I would wish for a star that could guide me, but every time I looked at the night sky, all the stars looked pretty much the same. Still I believe in the story. I believe there was a celestial sign that led men across the desert to witness this miracle.
My younger brother and I were very close. We would delight in lighting up sparklers we got from uncles and aunts during our “Christmas visits”, a tradition when we were growing up in the fifties and sixties, and the boxes of assorted candies. It was a time of the past that we were privileged to experience. Things have changed so much now. The long season of Christmas will always be something to look forward to with great expectation. A time of social gatherings, starting soon after Thanksgiving in the United States of America, a magical prelude to the main event of Christmas. There is something lovely about Christmas, a time is set apart to wrap gifts, and unwrap the ones you receive, taking time to pause in the busyness of the season, to consider the gift that came wrapped and placed in a stable. Christmas is a season of hope, peace and joy that define families, evoke memories, and a time of community. It’s a time of sharing who we are with others, and the joy of giving, than receiving. There lies the true fulfilment, the purpose and significance of Christmas.
Charmaine Candappa
