Ole' Memories of Christmas

Christmas is a time of spreading happiness and good cheer,
Spending time with family and people we hold dear.
Unfortunately, this year we will not be with loved ones, on the other side of the Arabian sea,
Cause' husband has got work and not getting Christmas leave. :(.

And once again I get my bouts of nostalgia reminiscing of my childhood memories,
Where Christmas time was a festival of fun and celebration for the 'Daji' family.
We all would sit around the dining table,
And shell shapes for kulkuls, we would make,
Dad would be incharge of frying,
Followed by mom kneading dough for nankathais to bake.
Mom and I would make the Marzipan,
We were a great team you see,
She would mix and stir the ingredients,
And I would make shapes of fruits and flowers happily.
Chocolate fudge was my forte and the only thing I knew in the cooking department,
And was always in a fix when to remove the fudge from the fire,
So always depended on lil' brother's judgement.

Christmas lunch menu was planned a month in advance,
And list of people to gift sweets and invite, we were always prepared and left nothing to chance.
Christmas lunch had to be a spread and was always large,
Roast chicken with a stuffing, mutton korma, vegetable stew, bread rolls, pea pulao, plum pudding,prawn masala, pork vindaloo and sanas.( sanas are Like idlis)

But besides all the cooking and the baking,
It was fun decorating the house and Christmas tree,
And we all would do it together,
Setting up the crib and the star too simultaneously.

Before midnight mass, mom and grandma dressed in their silk sarees,
Dad and brother, all suited and booted,
All of us would pose for photos,in front of the Christmas tree.

I am no longer a 'Daji' but a 'Rangel' you see,
And continue to carry on the old traditions with my new family of Nigel, Mikhail and me,
But no matter how many Christmas' I get to see,
I will always reminiscence the past of my wonderful childhood memories.