As the plane touched down, there was a feeling of ‘peace and joy' to be home for Christmas, in Bangalore. By experience, I have seen, a Bangalorean can never enjoy Christmas anywhere else in the world. It’s a strange phenomenon, but its been true over the decades. You will find Bangaloreans scattered across the globe, but come Christmas and the planes will be full of them heading home to Bengalruru. What’s with the City that brings Bangaloreans home like the proverbial swallow every Christmas? We caught up with some old Bangaloreans to ask what they remembered was special in the old days in Bangalore, over the Christmas season.

Seveny-two-year-old Haroon Sulaiman Sait who used to run the original ‘Only Place’ at the end of Brigade Road says, “I was born in Bowring Hospital Road in 1935 and even though we are a traditional Muslim family we grew up with a strong British influence.

 In 1965, I found the ‘Only Place’ and we have built our name on decades of Christmas dinners. We started with cooks trained by the British so we serve a true blue Christmas Turkey roast meal. I have the works, from plum pudding, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green peas, giblet gravy and the only difference is today we also cater to our American guests. We have cranberry sauce and candied yams added to the menu! Guests have come to us for generations on Chrismas eve, before going on for Midnight service, or they come in on Christmas Day, for lunch.

“I did my schooling in St Joseph’s Boys' School,” reveals Shohaib, Haroon’s son. “In the 70s when I went to school, we lived with my grandparents on Aga Abbas Ali Road which had only large old bungalows on it. In those days, I remember Christmas carol singers going door to door every evening in the week before Christmas.
 My grandmom always gave them fresh home made juice after they sang for us. In those days, every bungalow had its own star lighting up the door way. And, I always met my friends after midnight service in St Patrick's Church.”

Loretta Furtado, who is the lady of the manor in a gracious old bungalow on Hayes Road, remembers how she made her five children write letters to Santa, with their wish list of gifts for Christmas. “All our kids wrote letters, which were sent to the Catholic Club and Mrs Lynn the President in those days, posted all of them back to us parents, so we knew what to buy for them. I gave the children a special blue tinted bond letter paper, with matching envelopes to write their letters on. That was a special tradition we maintained till they grew old enough to know who Santa really was" she says with a laugh.

   And what did the hotels do in days gone by? Who better than to ask is business woman Priya Mascarenhas who was the Director Marketing of Spencer International Hotels and was based at the West End, in Bangalore in '73. "The West End was always elegantly decorated," reveals Priya, "and all our guests were sent Christmas hampers and goodies. Our Christmas lunch buffet was elaborate with old and new recipes, which was patronized by our cosmopolitan clientele.

The lobbies of all our hotels still have Christmas carol singers and a Christmas tableaux as decoration. In Bangalore East where I live, we have always had Christmas carolers, who go around in groups bringing in the feeling of Christmas cheer, in the locality."

“Christmas was my busiest season in the '80's,” reveals George Jacob of Rosary Farm Florists in St. Patrick's Complex. “My day would begin at 3am trying to get the orders ready for my customers who queued up for flower arrangements all day. I would finally close at 4 pm desperate to enjoy Christmas! "