Christmas in my family has always been a big deal. My mum is the driving force behind our obsession with the holiday and I am pretty sure, no one does Christmas like she does.
She’s all about the details. It started with our Christmas trees. My sister and I had our own little trees. I went through this phase when I was a teenager where I loved all things fairies and butterflies- so that became the theme of my tree. It still is. My sister Sasha, loves dogs, we both do but as a child, Mum really needed a theme for her so she decided dogs it is! And that became the theme of her tree and continues to be the same even today. My dad is as obsessed with cars as my mum is with Christmas, so surprise, surprise, the theme of his tree was cars.
Like this, as our family grew, more trees got added. When my husband and I got married, he got a banker’s tree. Currency ornaments, with a tree skirt to match. When my son was born he got two trees! One for Mumbai and one for Goa. This year, considering there was hardly any stock of ornaments due to the ban on Chinese imports, and with a majority of her ornaments in Goa, she decided to make her own. She used gold and salmon pink brocade, off-white lace, hakoba fabric and detailed the ornaments with baby roses and braids. All from fabric that was left over from her other creative endeavours. Thus, one more tree was added to the collection – our sustainable tree!
It’s not just the trees. There is a constant twinkle in her eye the whole month of December. I thought this year, Christmas wouldn’t be the same, but her energy (and obsession) is infectious. It’s made me want to make this holiday a big deal for my son too. He’s three now so finally understands the concept. So this year, we will be baking cookies together, and leaving them out with a glass of milk for Santa. Just like Mum made us do when we were little. For me, Christmas isn’t about the trees or the presents or the food. It’s about that warm fuzzy feeling inside.
For me, it has and will always be, about Mum.
