As tHe croW fliEs: Joy to the world......

"Joy to the world! the Lord is come;

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare him room,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing...."

Carols...they've got a peculiar charm that adds to the nostalgia... The song that fades in and out in the cold December nights...In the land of latex, letters, spices and achayans….the spirit of Christmas is hard to miss!! The mild drop in temperature, fog that filters through the rubber trees, the vibrant cakes that sits atop the glass shelves of the bakeries, the paper made stars that lit up homes- it’s Christmas in the air. Temporary stalls selling Christmas tree/crib decoratives, greeting cards, crackers etc pops up everywhere-where all our pocket money vaporizes. We used to decorate school buses with color papers, balls, paper stars of all shades, bells, and what not!! There was a silent competition among the commuters of each route- to showcase their bus- the best... Before all the niceties of Christmas, there stood a hurdle- the terminal exams, aka Christmas pareeksha!! From the day the time table gets announced, it’s a wait-a wait to get out of the clutches of the exam monster and leap into the holiday season. A day after the exams comes the Christmas celebrations at school - secret santa and other games, house-wise carol/ x-mas tree competitions and that very evening on the way home, we would unceremoniously bare our school buses off all the sheen and glamour. Freedom from books, flurry of cakes, crackers, greetings...a lot of tv, a lot of sleep, lot of games…

At home, we had an ivory wood tree, which we christened-our Christmas tree. Mornings, we would rush to the tree to check the damage the mist has done to the paper decoratives, and wait for the sun to tend to those-hurt. We kept on burdening the tree with all colorful things that came our way, till the end of Christmas season. Strains of drum beats in the middle of the night- the carol gang doing rounds- “Shaanta raatri, thiruraathri…” the Santa dancing to the song in the light of petromax lamps. The glee on seeing the carol singers and the sorrow that creeps into the heart on seeing them leave- taking away with them the joy of Christmas….It was sad to see the paper stars and trees disappearing....The joy of Christmas leaves your heart, with a promise to return, a promise as sweet as the Christmas cake....as bright as a lit star.... Sing with me, my fav carol…….

“Dashing through the snow In a one-horse open sleigh

O'er the fields we go Laughing all the way

Bells on bobtail ring' Making spirits bright

What fun it is to ride and sing A sleighing song tonight!

Jingle bells, jingle bells, Jingle all the way.

Oh! what fun it is to ride In a one-horse open sleigh.

Jingle bells, jingle bells, Jingle all the way;

Oh! what fun it is to ride In a one-horse open sleigh “