The changing face of Christmas…

Helping the needy should be our priority
Christmas means celebration time. The festivities begin from December 24 midnight itself. We visit the church and offer prayers to Jesus Christ. It is a day of great excitement and fun as we get to meet all our family members and friends or they come over at our place. We have also decorated the Christmas tree and will also sing carols together and will dine together. The sumptuous meals for the day along with wine will be on our menu. The main attraction will, of course, be the special flavour or the improvisations made for the party. But I genuinely want to celebrate the day by helping someone who is in need of help. The same message was given by God on this special day. I hope to carry this idea in all my
celebrations forever.
— Shijo John, 22

Our non-catholic friends too are equally excited
This X-mas is very special for me as my ten year-old son will get to experience the Christmas celebrations for the first time. With the busy schedules, our get-togethers now last only for few hours. The method of celebrating still remains the same. Christmas celebrations begin at least 10 days prior to the D-day and extend by 3-4 days after the festival too. Children, youngsters as well as elders get immense joy in preparing for the Christmas. On the eve of Christmas, we all go to the church for our Holy Mass. We also get to witness the midnight bonfire. Today, we have planned a social gathering involving family, friends, neighbours. Our non-catholic friends too join us in the celebrations. The priest visits our place and blesses us. Carol-singing marks the beginning of the festivities. 
— Liji Shynu, 26

X-mas means blessings and good wishes for me
Christmas is a festival which is not confined to a religion. It is, in fact, representative of our cosmopolitan culture. While I was in college, Christmas vacations was for me a time to celebrate and party with friends. But as my wife is a catholic, I now celebrate it at home with my family. Our preparations for Christmas begin well in advance. We decorate our Christmas tree with stars, bells, chocolates etc and also create artificial snowfall at home. For me, it is as fun-filled as celebrating Diwali. We also send sweets to friends and relatives. Our friends visit our place and we all sing carols together. Then all of us enjoy our meal together. Our celebrations are marked with purity, enthusiasm, lots of blessings and good wishes. 
— Raju Singh, music director, 40

The gift options are more innovative
Though people often comment that Christmas has become commercialised and the spirit is lost, I disagree with this viewpoint. In fact commercialisation has made the festival all the more fun-filled and popular. There are more gifts options. On stepping out of the house, one can see every corner exhibiting different decorative items for Christmas. This adds on to the festive mood. This trend was started by malls. But now all the shops and residential complexes have taken it forward. The joy is palpable among people of every age group. I spend the Christmas Eve with family and attend the midnight mass. On December 25, I give more time to friends and party with them. 
— Minila D’souza, 23

People focus more on trivial issues now
Christmas today has become a very commercialised festival. The spirit of the festival is lost. The focus is more on trivial issues such as clothes and decorations. More than the prayers, people are bothered about outsmarting each other. Moreover, as we are forced to finish the midnight mass early due to the noise limit, we cannot conduct the mass properly. It doesn’t feel the same. As a child, for me, Christmas was very exciting. The thought of getting gifts from Santa Claus made us improve our behaviour. The presents and delicacies would add on to the celebrations and prayers. Today, it is more of a quiet
family affair.
— Ajay D’souza, 28

Enjoy decorating the house, making sweets
The preparations for Christmas celebrations begin a week in advance. With my sister, I start preparing sweets such as marzipan and cookies. I also make the crib at home. I attend the midnight mass with my family and make it to the mass in the morning as well. Actually, I have a real Christmas tree at home. Though, we don’t have a Christmas party at home, I go out with my friends for a small party. I don’t think that Christmas celebrations are limited to catholics only. It’s a festival that is celebrated with equal fervour by people of all religions. The spirit of the festival has multiplied over years. 
— Ankita Mondal, 14

My granny takes me to the midnight mass
I enjoy the festival due to the gifts that I receive. Besides, a vacation in school is the added advantage. During Christmas, my mom takes me for shopping. Also, I get to spend time with my family and friends during the Christmas vacation. I particularly enjoy decorating the Christmas tree at home. I look forward to receiving gifts from Santa Claus. I enjoy eating the yummy delicacies during this festive season especially cakes and chocolates. My granny explains the importance of the festival to me and asks me to make sure that I attend the midnight mass with her. I also help my granny in making sweets like plum cakes and cookies. Christmas is a very colourful festival and I enjoy it thoroughly.
— Aashi Redkar, 8

Festivities are not the same anymore
The celebrations begin from the midnight on December 24. Earlier, the day was celebrated with a lot of joy. Nowadays, owing to the restrictions by the government on the use of loudspeakers in the open, the midnight mass gets over before midnight. However, in the church, small speakers are on. Earlier, everyone would attend the whole mass but nowadays youngsters come in for sometime and leave before the mass gets over for their party. Youngsters today are more fashionable and are more interested in the celebrations aspect rather than prayers. We continue with the tradition of having dinner with the family and decorating the house. But the fact remains that the celebrations have changed considerably. They are not the same as they were three to four decades ago. 
— Julie D’souza, 74

Govt should allow the midnight Holy Mass
Every year, I celebrate Christmas with my family and people who are close to me. I like having lunch or dinner with all my family members together. I also make it a point to attend the midnight Holy Mass. I like giving lots of gifts to all my friends and relatives. For me, Christmas has always been a time of celebration. But what I thoroughly miss is initiating the festivities by midnight Holy Mass. It is actually the time of birth of Jesus Christ. Earlier, all catholics would gather at midnight for the Holy Mass. But thanks to the city law, late night celebrations have now been banned. I think, the government should allow the Holy Mass as it is not noisy but a prayer. Moreover, there is no change in the way we celebrate Christmas. The festive spirit remains the same.
— Maria Goretti, actress

The festival is more commercialised now
My two-year-old daughter got a CD of Christmas carols as a gift which took me back to the times when I celebrated Christmas as a kid. Around ten years ago, there were choirs which would sing in front of buildings and churches throughout the day. The mood of the festival was completely different then. I wish my children could witness the same festivities that I got a chance to. Undoubtedly, Christmas has gone beyond religion and is no longer limited to a single community. While all of us look forward to fun and party, Christmas gives us a perfect reason for all that and more. Besides, it has become commercialised too. Owing to this, it has lost its traditional catholic essence. This is the only difference between Christmas celebrations today and a decade ago, that I can spot.
— Perizaad Zorabian, actress

X-mas is no longer limited to a community
Unlike five years ago, Christmas is no longer celebrated only by a certain community. Everyone today celebrates the festival with same zest and energy. The festival has managed to transcend the boundaries of religion and age limits. It has managed to become bigger over the years. We have more and innovative gift options in the market. The traditional food types such as turkey, wine sauces etc too are now easily available in the market. From the past 15 years or so, I have been getting a Christmas tree in my house and friends and family join me in ushering in Christmas. The spirit of sharing, which the festival stands for, is still alive in the city.
— Pooja Bedi, actress