Merry Christmas!

When I was out for my usual morning walk today, I saw the usual Christmas stars and festoons all around my colony. That is certainly not a surprise seeing the colony I stay in has pre-dominantly people of the Christian faith.

While I continued my walk / jog, my mind flew back to the days when I was in school. Mine was a convent school and for boys only at that. Christmas was a big deal in the school and since the Christmas vacation was usually given from Dec 24th to Jan 1st, the Christmas celebration was held either on the 23rd or the last school day prior to the 24th.

I remember that day with fond memories. We all used to wait for that day with bated breath. It did not matter that my school comprised of as many non Catholics as Catholics. The spirit of the day got to us all in equal measure.

The day used to start with a couple of periods which noone really minded as we all knew what was to follow. At around 9 am there would be an announcement on the PA system asking us to assemble in the school's open air auditorium at sharp 9.20. Before we left the class however, we were given a goodie bag each; this usually contained a samosa, a pattice, a Monginis Slice Cake, some sweets, a Mango Frooti tetrapack and a small Christmas present.simple stuff but we still loved it - goes to show that even then we appreciated the spirit of the occassion. Lugging this bag and / or munching on the snacks, we would file into the auditorium with our class teachers making sure we behaved ourselves.

In the audi, which was really open air with a big covered stage at one end, we would be seated on rugs on the ground itself. On such days, the lucky ones were those whose classes were led out first and so got the front rows. In about 5 mins time, when all of us were settled, the curtain would go up. The first item on the agenda was always the principal's address. It was always based on some element of Christmas be it goodness, piety, kindness etc. He sure held our attention for those 15 to 20 mins!

The speech was followed by the traditional Cristmas play depicting the birth of Jesus Christ. All the works were there, cows, goats, sheep, donkeys, the 3 wise men, some people of different nationalities etc etc. All the props used in the play were made by the students themselves.

An interesting (I hope) aside: yours truly made his stage debut (and exit as well) in one of these productions when in the 6th standard. This role of a lifetime had me essay the character of a donkey, yes you read right, in the play. The specifics of the part required me wear this huge face fask (again, made by me at home and yes, it did look like a donkey's face), kneel on all fours in the manger, next to Christ's crib along with a cow, a sheep and some goats and sway my head from left to right throughout the duration of the play. To top it all, I actually enjoyed myself though my knees were sore at the end of it. :)

In any case, the play was always well received and was the highlight of the morning. We watched the same sequence every year but never got tired of it. It was always a joy to watch Christ come into the world.

Post the play, there would be some musical performances by some gifted pupils. I particularly remember a tabla performance by one of my batchmates as being exceptionally brilliant! Usually after these, the principal and the headmistress would would wish us a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year signifying the end of the day and the start of the vacation. And we would rush home to spread the cheer.

Nothing extravagant but even then it filled our young hearts with joy. I guess it is that very same joy which persists in my heart even today. That very same joy which still warms my being every Christmas, that makes Christmas special! Merry Christmas! Peace and love be with you!