Festive special: Meet non-Catholics who celebrate Christmas

Singing the Christmas spiritRoshan Dastoor 56 has been celebrating Christmas at home ever since she was in school I wasnt in a convent but you pick up the festive spirit Parsis celebrate all festivals We get cake and wine and sing carols My 26yearold daughter loves to decorate the house and we usually have a Merry Christmas sign too She bakes brownies and cupcakes I have a CD full of carols which I take to office and play on low volumeAlso readYour lastminute Christmas gifting guideRoshan Dastoor fifth from right at a Paranjoti Choir recital in BangaloreI have also been part of the Paranjoti choir for many years Performing at concerts during Christmas is a spiritual experience We finished four concerts in Mumbai On previous occasions we had performed at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi for the President during Christmastime and also in Bangalore and Goa I live in Marine Lines where the original Christian population resided the bright lights and street festivities have however moved to the suburbsndash Roshan Dastoor financial professional Marine Lines residentAlso readChristmas planner Mumbais best guide to XmasCelebrating with grandmaJehanin Pajnigar has the fondest memories of spending Christmas with her grandmother When I was little we used to have a lavish Christmas feast at my grandmoms home My mom bakes a Christmas cake and we bring in some wineI always go visiting close friends who celebrate Christmas and sing carols too Secret Santa is planned in office so you end up getting presents toomdash Jehanin Pajnigar media professional Bandra residentDressing for the Xmas ballAman Khera is a Punjabi from Baroda and is gearing up for this years Christmas celebration I plan to attend the Ball at Bandra GymkhanaWhile growing up Christmas was always special for me we tuck into delicious plum cake elaborate dinners and even decorate a Christmas tree She adds One of my fondest memories is of dinner parties at a teachers home on Christmas He would treat us with ginger ale among other goodies which was fantastic ndash Aman Khera marketing professional Sion residentAlso readLearn to make your own Christmas decorations plus moreStockings and letters to SantaI have been celebrating Christmas since I was a kid My mother instilled the tradition in us Earlier my cousins would come over we would bake a pudding cake and write letters to Santa We had stockings with our names on it and wed place letters in them says Akshita KaruwalaShe recalls how her family would decorate their Christmas tree and the times when her father would take them across the city to see the decorations at hotels We dont get together like before but I make it a point to spend Christmas with my mother I decorate the tree bake her favourite cookies and keep them out with milk and my stocking In the morning I find it stuffed with a present We also watch a Christmas movie together I enjoy making a warm drink like mulled wine or a spiced warm orange drink she shares ndash Akshita Kariwala BMM graduate Cuffe Parade residentNo religion is superior to othersTwenty eight years back someone mentioned that doing nine Ravivars Sunday novenas at Agnel Ashram in Bandra would help fulfill my wish and overcome my troubles My wish got fulfilled and I have been going there since says 50yearold Sandhya Savla What began as a wishfulfilling ritual became a regular Sunday visitShe feels that it is not just the wish fulfillment that draws her to the Ashram but the strengthening of the faith Savla also began visiting Mount Mary Church as it was nearby and says like her people from all castes and religions visit the church I have seen groups of Gujaratis offering charity services at the church she shares Do relatives question her visits People are surprised But no god says that his religion is superior to others With the same faith I visit Haji Ali Dargah as well she replies While Savla finds it difficult to head to Bandra every Sunday of late she intends to drop by on Christmas Day along with her daughtermdash Sandhya Savla homemaker and bridal consultant Mulund residentAll about tradition and the tree of joyI have been bringing home a Christmas tree for four years I love decorating it As children my sister and I would write notes bearing our wishes stuff them in stockings and leave them near our beds recalls MakatiUpasana Makati adds finishing touches to a Christmas tree that she has been decorating at her Andheri home for four years PicSameer MarkandeShe reveals how her mum wasnt aware of this tradition but around eight years ago she learnt about it from an aunt who came visiting from the USSince then every year she keeps a gift under my pillow on Christmas Eve Last year too I found one when I returned home at 130 am after lighting a candle at Mount Mary Church While I visit the church often I make it a point to visit it especially on this day to see everyone spread festive cheer and greet each other Merry Christmas as the clock strikes 12ndash Upasana Makati publisher of White Print Indias first English lifestyle magazine in Braille Andheri residentThe twoday Christmas I was a part of the choir at boarding school and memories of practice sessions leading up to Christmas still make me smile recalls Preeti Nair Powai resident She continues Back home in Mumbai I continued attending midnight mass with a friend and her familyThe lovely choir singing through the silent night the lifesized crib the sermon mdash all of it resonated with the Christmas spirit that is festive yet calming Often wed be a group of friends who would drop by so celebrations that began post midnight mass would continue beyond lunch on Christmas day The spread that my friends mom would whip up rum cake fish curry prawn pulao beetroot salad kulkuls was something else When my brother was younger we would bring home a Christmas tree that he loved to decorate While that practice has faded we continue to exchange gifts among family and friends on Christmas mdash Preeti R Nair corporate lawyer Powai resident