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ShareChristmas has come and gone oh-so-swiftly but the cheer it has ushered in remains in our newly-minted smiles. Looking around, it's great to see people stepping out again, to quote an old and famous phrase from a verse 'with a smile on their lips... and 'a tear in the eye' that can be guessed at.
My celebrations began this year when I got the much-expected call last week, "Mom, I am coming home." My heart began yodelling in anticipation as I waited for my prodigal out-of-town studying daughter to return briefly to the nest. The days dragged on till my teenager dashed home on her Xmas break. She returned on X'mas eve, greeted me hurriedly when I reached home at 9pm and rushed off for a sleep-over - more appropriately termed a stay-over - at a school friend's place. "The old gang is getting together. We are not going out anywhere...we will be just at home, catching up on old school gossip and gup-shupping," she assured me.
Just till last year (she moved out of home for studies this June) she was in charge of our Christmas decorations. Out would come the tree from the storage area and down she would troop, brother in tow to find suitable decorations from the nearby gift shop.
Armed with loads of tinsel, glitter and sparkle and, of course, the mandatory angel, our miniature green wonder came alive and the Christmas spirit was enhanced by a chicken and vegetable extravaganza during the day.
No guesses for guessing who Santa would be every year! With my husband travelling (and inevitably not around at year-ends) - and of course with due apology to my generous girth and I hope my equally generous spirit - I hopped into the role. The gifts were kept secret till the last minute and sometimes even the last morning... (This year, Sunday is the appointed day for the festive shopping).
It's interesting to remember how as kids, my brother and I looked forward to both Chacha Deepak and Santa Claus giving us presents every year. Dad had his office at Flora Fountain and we'd be there without fail at the Akbarally store on the ground floor, queuing up to shake the robust red-garbed figure's hand.
My son, till he realised or big sis told him who Santa actually was, used to threaten to stay awake till midnight to hear the reindeer stop on top of our roof. That he never managed to keep his eyes open till that time saved the secret till he grew up a little. Then it was more a matter of keeping the presents hidden in different corners of our home to pull out early in the morning just in time for them to get up.
Anyways, to get back to the present...and more materialistically presents, I got up in the morning and readied to leave for work on Thursday and there was no sign of any of my kids surfacing on my horizon. The little one lolled around on bed - having indulged in a late-night bout of football game watching on the small screen - and the elder, was still to return. At around ten as I was rushing around preparatory to leave, the doorbell rang.
Before I could growl at her tardy ways, she gave me a groggy smile and put out her hand. In it was a tiny X'mas tree...with a smaller angel adorning it.A chortle from behind me made me turn.
The two teens had made my day! It didn't matter that the minute the door was shut she went off to sleep and my son went back to his lolling on the sofa and TV watching routine even before I could call for the lift...Who says Santa is an adult? Mine comes in the form of two teens. It's now time for the young and the old to ring in the new and wait for 2009.
