Missing Christmas

I’m going to miss all the fun this time. I can feel it after reading Ms. Rambling’s post. This is the first Christmas that I’m not home. It would be so much fun at home during this season. In the past, I would generally reach home on the 24th and would sleep the entire day. In the eve of Christmas, mom would start winding up her last minute preparation of the sweets and cakes. I would sit in the portico and watch my sister having fun with the crackers. I had lost my interest in crackers when I was in my 12th grade but my sister still loves them. Our neighborhood has a lot of Christians and so the whole area would be lit up with stars and Christmas trees. Adding to the beauty are the colors of the flower pots and the chakkars. The din caused by the crackers would lend a classy touch to the festivities. My dad would be asking me to fire some crackers with my sister. I would be having a hard time persuading him that I was not really into them. But it would be fun!

Fero (our dog) hated the loud bursts of the crackers and would keep on barking. Poor soul, he would never understood that the noise was harmless. My sister used to decorate our house. She is so much adept in making things look good and colorful. The entire house would be glowing with multi-colored lamps. And the Christmas tree sitting up in portico would be brimming with pride.

The Christmas morning would start early at around 3.45 AM. The service at the church used to start at 4.00 AM and mom would have a hard time waking us up and getting us ready for the mass. I hated going out at that time of December. It would be so cold. I had to literally fight with mom to make her permit us to take the car to church. She would always want to go in the bikes. We have 2 bikes. Mom would want me to take her in my bike and would ask dad to take my sister with him in his bike. For some reason, she never wanted to go in the car to the church. May be, because the church was very close and she thought just the bikes would do. But for the past couple of years, I did not have to persuade mom hard for the car.

The service would complete at 6.30 AM and I would be waiting to go my bed again. My mom would allow me to sleep till 7.30 AM and then the real Christmas would start. I used to go to all our friend’s and neighbour’s places with sweets. It would be fun. In the meantime my sister would have again started her cracking fun, I mean, bursting crackers! She would invite all the kids from the neighbourhood and would be having a great time with them. Though I used to hate this initially, I had started to accept the kids lately. Just for a simple reason of not wanting to disappoint my sister.

We would be having a great lunch. Mutton Biryani, Chicken Kurma, payasam and what not?! Hmmm, my mouth is watering as I write these! By now, it would have been 3:00PM. Generally I travel back to Chennai (for my college or later work) on the same day. My bus would be at 6:30 PM. My mom, dad and sister would come to see me off. The wonderful time would have gone off in a jiffy!!

I know my mom would be missing me this time. I could have planned my vacations properly, so that I would have been at home this time. What a poor planner I’m? But anyways, all you have a merry Christmas and a prosperous 2006!