A gutted hut & true Xmas spirit

TK Nandanan

The chilliest season, winter brings with it fond memories of yesteryear. Christmas festivities begin well before the actual day. Unlike in the West, where winter chills everything with snow and hail and brings along a white Christmas, we are lucky to have a moderate and bearable climate. The scale of celebration here in India is pretty much warmer in every sense. 

The making of a Christmas star and preparing a wine-rich cake at homes, weeks before, heralds the Yuletide. Children, on a 10-day holiday, are the happiest, gathering themselves to sing carols in praise of infant Jesus in the evening. They visit home after home singing carols and receive a gift of money from each home they visit. 

What happened hundreds of years ago in Bethlehem, on a starry night, comes alive to one who reads the specific portion of the Bible. An angel appeared to the shepherds at night and said: ‘I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people’ (Luke 2:10). ‘Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord’ (Luke 2:11). So great is our joy at the Saviour of mankind being born on this day.

In the village where I lived, there were Christmas celebrations. Our neighbourhood was lively with preparations of cribs and Christmas trees. Moreover, the gifting of special delicacies to non-Christian homes was, indeed, a great thing to cherish and remember. The warmth of Christmas was tangible there.

I still remember the tragic incident that occurred during the Yuletide. As our village had no electricity, kerosene lamps were largely used inside the stars to light them during the night. There was a house at the back of our house, which was literally a shanty. The poor neighbour also hung a star just beneath the thatched roof, with a kerosene lamp lit inside, at night. The hut caught fire on Christmas eve, spreading quickly to the roof. Within minutes, the hut was completely gutted. But nothing untoward happened as the only two members, the mother and son, had gone to attend the midnight service at a church.

As our house had some spare rooms, we invited them to stay with us till a new accommodation was built. The next day’s Christmas was even more special to us as we had new guests at home; and we celebrated the festival with the true spirit of sharing and love.