Christmas time

Amidst my work schedule I try to hop into stores, malls to complete my Christmas even considering my birthday on Christmas eve. With many heading back home and December also being the busiest month, it’s one of the enticing times of the year especially as everyone is getting decked up for 2025.

Offices too will be well adorned with the Xmas lights lit up for the long-awaited Christmas fete, parties, secret Santa and lots more.

I reminisce about the good old days when families and friends, the close ones, used to catch up for late night Christmas dinner filled with music, fun and frolic but festivals are now getting a little reserved.

Listening to the melodious X Mas carols, and seeing Christmas trees put up in every Christian family, office, clinics, arcade as Santa Claus is ready to head to town.

A time for joy, merriment and special liturgies, brightly muffled gifts, festive foods these feature in the feast. The way each of us used to express our love and gratitude through Christmas cards is something that I can always cherish and penning them down has another exclusive feel.

The stint when I used to knock at my neighbour’s door and hand out Christmas cards was nothing but bliss for me. I guess these days short cuts and cut copy paste forwarding messages is what sums it up. Our lives, and world are far from perfect. There are always challenges and struggles we face both personally and collectively.

The good news though is that even when the world or our circumstances changes the message of Christmas is timeless. I wonder what Santa has to gift me this time.

Mathew Litty,

Dubai