As a Christian and an American, I have celebrated Christmas every year for the past 17 years. I felt so accustomed to everything I thought that Christmas could be: the music playing at all the stores from the ending of Thanksgiving through the beginning of the New Year, the Christmas trees being strapped to car roofs and beautifully adorned with ornaments old and new, the smell of cookies baking, the hoping for a white Christmas, and of course spending time with those closest to me. This year being in India, everything was altogether different but yet the same. Let me explain. Though the music did not ring out from every speaker, I think my host family managed to play enough on Christmas day itself to make up for that. And, though the Christmas trees were not cut and drawn away from the Christmas tree farms (I mean, it's not really possible here in Gurgaon), an unimaginable amount of ornaments and decorations were acquired and placed over the artificial tree. To be frank, it was the most real artificial tree I had ever seen. I even received Christmas cards from the US, which added a little bit of American tradition to the celebration. We did not bake cookies, but we did bring out the grill and chef Paintal (my host dad) came and amazed everyone with an array of delicious foods. As for wishing for a White Christmas, I cannot say I didn't - but I do love the fact that it was warm enough to have an outdoor party. The best part of Christmas this year was without a doubt being surrounded by so many smiling faces. In the morning, my host family exchanged gifts - some of which I had crudely wrapped the previous evening. Everyone, myself included, was very happy with their gifts. Wrapping paper put away, we began preparing for the party -taking tables and chairs outside and lighting up the charcoal on the grill. Slowly but surely, people began to arrive. Family and friends from near and (comparatively) far came to our house. There was no 'kids table', but those of us 18 and under shared a great time playing every game I did not even realize existed (many games are the same but have different names in India). I think most of them were variations on 'tag' where I somehow became 'it' for what seemed to be forever. Afterwards, we had two delicious cakes - one was even an ice cream cake which I not only love but also have never had the opportunity to eat on Christmas. To me, it was amazing for me to see how people could come together for such an occasion without even holding the Christian belief behind the holiday. This proved something very important to me: Christmas, and I guess any other holiday, may not be all about the story behind it; it is about spending time with the people you love, sharing laughs and exchanging smiles. I can literally be more than seven thousand miles from home, surrounded by people I met within the past 3-4 months, and still feel more at home than ever. Shortly after eating the cakes, it was the dreaded time of saying goodbye. I warmed up my hands over the warm and toasty grill and then got back to work putting the chairs away. I mostly lazed away the rest of the day. The very unfortunate truth of the matter was that the next day was a Tuesday, a school day, and a UT (quiz) day for me - in economics. Nonetheless, I can say that every time I glanced at the Santa hat capping the tree, lights aglow in our living room, I felt the Christmas magic working its way through the atmosphere. I felt no lack of Christmas spirits this year, in fact it will be a memory I cherish for years to come. Though I am late in writing this post: Merry Christmas!
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AuthorNamaste! Mera naam Anna hai! Hi! my name is Anna. Please enjoy reading about my experience as a high school junior in India and ask any questions you may have! Archives
June 2019
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