By Rahul Sirsikar

The December cold winds and snow bring out a sense of joy and excitement along with them .A jolly environment is enough to let us know that Christmas is around the corner. The town is soon painted into red and white making it a fairytale world where children would be caught catching snow flakes on the tip of their tongues while some are seen making snow angels on the ground. The sky which usually uses to be bright with sun showering down his rays is now covered behind white clouds, telling people, it is time to come out of the house and spent some time with the family which we have so missed due to our busy schedules for the past eleven months. And the people couldn’t argue more.

Though Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ, as the name appropriately tells when abbreviated Christ’s-masses, where people flock together and visit the church .But, a very few know that sometime back Christmas was not a secular holiday.

The Christmas celebration was created by the early Church to entice pagans to convert into Christianity without losing their own winter holidays. But it was during the great depression that then President Franklin D Roosevelt due to Christmas’s dual status of religious and secular holiday enforced the Secular Christmas holiday. This helped not only the depression but also gave people and the economy a great boost. This is where Commercial Christmas began. With holidays, excitement and religion, money was to be made and that’s where the businessman makes their profits.

With every Christmas that arrives, comes a new wave of excitement. It’s the time when the people shop for Christmas trees, children suck on umbrella candies or are seen making snow-man and lovers could be seen in warm coffee bar’s sharing their feelings with each other. The city, which is so busy during other months suddenly, comes to a standstill with colorful lights decorating each corner and the Christmas corals enlighten the city from within and giving the city a serene atmosphere of peace and bliss.

The best part of Christmas comes prior to the day of the birth of Jesus, when Christmas trees at home are decorated with lights and shiny balls with the replica of the star that looked over Jesus, standing at the top of the Christmas tree.

Children who had thought all year and prepared their list of things to be gifted by their favorite saint, St. Nicholas popularly referred to as Santa Clause, insert this list into long red socks which hang over the fireplace at home, little knowing that its their fathers who come dressed up as Santa and place their gifts beneath the Christmas tress.

The happiness on the children’s faces the next day on receiving their gifts is priceless. Gifts are been sent out to relatives and friends giving a feeling of togetherness. The whole thing is fun and keeps up with the spirit of Christmas. On the day of the birth of Jesus people visit churches to offer their prayers while some have a field day with their families.

In the end we could conclude that Christmas brings a welcome relief to everybody. Christmas, a festival of hope, belief and bliss is truly one of the best festivals celebrated today.