Christmas in Chennai

 

Hello Guys,

 After much contemplation here is my first post in December 2022.

Though we say in jest that chennai has only one season throughout the year and that is summer, when the temperature goes down around this time of the year, we already start missing the warmth of daylight and blame the winter blues. It’s this time when we bundle up with those sweaters and hoodies that we use just once a year. Many of us are in need of ways to overcome these less sunshine days and that’s why december is getting more eventful than it used to be.

 From getting yearly calendars over the counter in supermarkets, planning for yearend trips and getting free margali utsav passes, our horizons to entertain has broadened.  Making a snow man and calling it a holiday season would hardly suit our environment, in reality, we just don’t have holidays this december, as even Christmas and new year is falling on a sunday. Still here are few ways everyone can enjoy Christmas in Chennai:

Decorate a Christmas tree: Though not a nativity creche and wreaths, we can arrange a christmas tree and decorate it, walking to a local fancy store would give us more decorating ideas than what you see in pinterest.  Reuse those LED string lights if you had already got them for diwali to decorate your Christmas tree. My neighbor gathered few kids together and made them decorate her tree, which becomes a story that you will be hearing from your kid for a long time. Few schools even ask their students to make Christmas crafts which the kids enjoy doing.

Christmas tree decorated by my 3-year-old.

Crafts by 7 year old kid Dhanshika

Visit decked up places: Unlike what I saw 5 years back, chennai is adapting to showcase an ambience that amaze us. Visit any of the shopping malls, I visited EA mall , they have arranged a beautiful snow village miniature and a toy train around it. Small houses covered with snow, play areas with human and kids miniature was very picturistic .

Decor from EA mall

Snow Village in EA mall

Decorations in Hamleys store

I also visited Pheonix mall , to experience the ambience, they do have a décor set up with a white Christmas tree, gift and Reindeer. If you really wanted to take a glimpse of how it looks before you visit , this is their official channel .

White Christmas tree from Pheonix mall

Almost every corner in these shopping malls had decors with the traditional colours of Christmas, pine green (evergreen), snow white, and heart red. If you go with kids, don’t miss to walk around the Hamleys store. Let them try marshmallows with chocolate fountain while you can sip a hot chocolate. If you are lucky, you can even meet Santa claus and get a gift.

Also, most of the retail shops like Pothys, Saravana stores etc. are decorated. I made a point to spend past 3 weekends just to visit these places around Chennai to entertain my kid and also to enjoy the ambience which is seen only around this time of the year.

Bake with your family: Baking is ignored in many households in our locality as we are so used to our traditional, food, sweets and savories, but still let our family get exposed to all kind of eatables the season is known for. If you are not from a family, that has the tradition to mix the cake ingredient a month back and bake a traditional plum cake, then try doing some instant version along with your family members. Like most of you, I also follow “madras samayal” youtube channel. Bake a Gingerbread man cookie, Candy cane cookies or make a Hot chocolate   with your kids.

If you want to buy a traditional plum cake and If you are around south Chennai try Moms bake factory they really make healthy version and good ones

 Fill Stockings:  Gifting to your loved ones can never be outdated.  Irrespective of age people do have a fantasy of Santa Claus, tell your kids tales about St Nicholas. (Long story short: he was passing through a town and wanted to help a family, so he dropped gold coins on the stockings that was hanging to dry, this gave hope to the whole town that they started hanging stockings expecting gold coins the next morning). I remember my aunt use to hang a stocking with a small toy, to her daughter, on their door, every year, during Christmas and my cousin believed it was from Santa for a very long time. Though it is fun, this is also more about kindness and generosity.

Let’s try to leave just a small toy or chocolate at someone’s door and see the twinkle on their eyers when they find it .

We can also have family get-togethers around this time, as we just need a reason to dress up, gather and have fun.  On Christmas day, I am invited to a friend’s place, so that’s how I would be spending my day, Plan how you want yours to be. With lot of excitement and joy let’s celebrate this month and bring home some light and shine.

If I survive a year as a blogger, will tell you more about Christmas celebrations in Chennai next year.