The Yuletide spirit pervades

Amarjot Kaur

While the winter chill envelops Chandigarh in its cold embrace, the warmth of the Christmas spirit has spared the city folks from catching a cold in their hearts! A ‘geri’ across the city provides for a rather festive view that celebrates the spirit of Christmas with a holly on almost every bakery shop and the heavily decorated Christmas tree, which marks the sanctity of the occasion. The only thing that the city is missing out on is perhaps the snow!

Since the cynosure for city folks remains the Elante Mall, the entrance welcomes you to a view of three beautifully decorated Christmas trees with reindeers and Santa Claus making you sing— ‘Rudolf the red-nose reindeer and Santa Claus is coming to town’. And just when you stop humming, a Santa Claus may drop by and give you a handful of sweets, which is perhaps the only thing in the mall that is free of cost.

Meanwhile, Sector 10, Sector 35 and other busy market areas of the city have their own Christmas trees. However, if you are feeling like Ebenezer Scrooge of Christmas Carol, well, hit Sector 17, which looks like the abandoned stepchild of Chandigarh. Well, so much for all the childhood memories that bring the nostalgia of all the Christmas evenings spent in the last so many years, the only open-air shopping plaza of the city still has the warmth of the good-old Chandigarh, so what if there aren’t many Christmas trees and holly around! As long as there is Christmas in your heart, it’s only fair to celebrate the spirit of the festival, Right?

Here’s wishing you a merry Christmas!