Mirrors.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that, a little bit of other things.

~a picture worth a thousand words.

Vintage Winds.

So, with the year's ending in a bash. Had an elite sunday at the Vintage car rally, celebrated the authenticity, originality and class. Words are just not enough.

Elves and something magical.

With the Christmas spirit in the air, one can’t help but feel the festivities and the chills. It’s my favorite time of the year, and so probably the reason I’m spending so much time thinking, planning and browsing over Christmas plans. And to be amidst the fogged up screens and whistling winds, Christmas couldn’t get better.

The dreamy season of December brings along with it a whirlwind of wishes, hopes, sharing, ideas, greetings and transports of delight. So, I did something different for my blog this time. I went around asking everyone what it meant to them. Once I asked them “what does Christmas mean to you”, it’s like I set something entirely new in motion. The responses I got varied from electrification to peevish moods. Sitting here on my office desk, I hope to have stirred up something in every mind somewhere.. even if it’s through a simple WhatsApp message. Christmas tends to have that effect on people maybe, or maybe it’s just the nip in the air, or is it the festive mood, or maybe the spirits.

So, the first response I got, read, and I will quote, “Cold winter outside, warm feeling inside, peaceful and warm time with loved ones.. nothing too loud. And oh yeah happiness. Festive feeling. Sharing it with people close to me.” That was the first. Trigger something in you?

What more, it’s about gifts, decorations and the shade red. Alongside, it’s about believing in a myth/a legend that there’s someone out there who’s selflessly giving you every Christmas, a world of red without asking for anything in return.

That’s just how Christmas is. Putting life into the palest of things, sprinkling magic and sparkle all around.

I got rejoinders and elliptic from a simple ‘nothing at all’ to ‘exams’ to ‘party’ to ‘carols’ to a ‘holiday’. Even the simple idea of cake and coffee is celebration. Oh! And how can I skip the mention of Newton’s birthday to me. Sanchit says for him it’s partying on the eve, decorating a tree at home, not to miss gobbling up the yumm cakes and later spend a bit of time with the family, and then asks me why I ask. Answering him, it’s important for me. To know what it is to you. To see what will get you enthralled about it, what will set the fire on. To share that feeling. To scream it out to the world.. that happiness, that joy, the excitement. To make you a part of it, and let myself be a small little part of yours in turn.

Since it’s too much to type and words may not get his expression of excitement right, I got a whole new outlook on Christmas. So, the phone rings in the office to explain me what Christmas is. To start with, it’s red, it's decorations, it’s going to the Cathedral at midnight taking all the magic in. To set in to the mood, its jiving and waltzing through the dance floor and giving way to igniting fires.

For everything its worth, what’s Christmas to you? 5 days from here, what and where do you see yourself.. Carnivals, pianos, snowflakes, gifts, stockings.. get your attention caught.

So, what it means to me. What my favourite holiday, my most loved time of the year mean to me. I don’t know if words will justify the feelings, but here I am making one shot to let you peek in.

~December is that month of mixed bag of feelings and emotions. The holidays send your emotions in several directions. That tango of mind and emotions starts its beat just as soon as the December nip takes over. All those tugs and heart-strings normalize up, down and ricochet sideways. Memories are all on emotional tips and trigger familiar scents of magic. Christmas is a time of nose-talgia. Think of peppermint and pine. Think of cookies and cream and cakes, of dough, hot chocolate on the stove and wine in the closet. Of smells of wood smoke through homes, offices, restaurants, bakeries, everywhere.

Think of the omniscient flavor of music. Diluting our thinking minds, targets the heart directly. Traditions are an instigator of a wave of emotions. And they’re more than comforting, be it the memories of pleasurable traditions or the bittersweet. The snore memories are threads of traditions formed over a lifetime so precious, it’s a sense of history and connection. *stirs a cornucopia of feelings*

Be a part of it. The Christmas tree. The jingling stars and goofed up decorations. The angel. The bells. Oh! The mistletoe. The wreath. Indulge in. Dance a bit- Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen- sing along the red nosed Rudolf.

The entire approach of Christmas fills me up with expectations. It’s like riding up on a roller-coaster with a giant hill of anticipation. And when the celebrations begin, you fly through. It’s almost the end of the year, so remind yourself of life being perfect as it is.  (it loves you back)

So what’s in my jar of Christmas this year, is the scent of eggnog whisked well with the dough in the oven and the bayberry candles lit up. And since I’m a person of traditions, my Santy has for me a stocking full of Christmas classics. To top my cake with a cherry, my cup of hot chocolate awaits the grasp of my frozen hands.  The Christmas lights and the walk down to the Cathedral just isn’t long enough.

So telme, what are you up for this season, this Christmas? Get yourself in the Christmas spirit. Turn on some “Christmassy” music, make a batch of Christmas cookies, hang up those Christmas ornaments, learn a song; get out of the house.

Get a gift, it doesn’t matter to who.
Be young again. Get in touch with that wondrous feeling called Christmas.

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!”

-Dr. Seuss