A season to bond

Remove all the frills and fuss associated with the festive season — the stockings, stars and presents, for instance — and what you’re left with is the perfect opportunity for friends and families to spend some time with each other.

This spirit of togetherness is best symbolised by the traditional Christmas lunch; after all, nothing says ‘family’ quite like a table piled high with hot dishes and sugary desserts. Metrolife speaks to a few Bangaloreans to find out whether their Christmas lunches are a
family affair. 

Mary Paul, who runs a charitable trust, says that her family always makes it a point to be together during the festival. “For us, Christmas always means a lot. We try and get together as a family, and often even take a few days off from work. This time around, my son is coming home from the Netherlands, and he’ll be spending a couple of weeks with us at least. It’s a lovely time in that sense; I look around and I see so many people coming
together for this occasion,” she explains.

Christmas lunch, she adds, will be spent at her parents’ house. “My parents are also settled in Bangalore, and we’ll be going there on Christmas day. Some of our friends will also be coming, and some family from Kerala. We’ll definitely make it an occasion for the whole family to get together, not just our nuclear one,” she says.

Sowmya, a professional, believes that Christmas day is the perfect time to mix family-time as well as some delicious food. “We’re Mangaloreans, and we celebrate the festival in our traditional manner. My parents, my sister Sneha and I always make sure the four of us are together, and we often have friends dropping in as well,” she explains.

For Sowmya, Christmas is a time for both family, as well as indulging the taste buds. “My mother, Geetha prepares kuswar, which is basically some different Mangalorean sweets as well as ‘sorpotel’, which is another traditional dish. We also have  plum cake, rice balls and rose cookies. My mother makes cake as well. We like to invite all our friends and relatives home for this.” Ashwin, a professional, agrees that Christmas lunches are a time for family. Although he hasn’t stayed with his parents for several years, he always makes it a point to visit them on the occasion.

He says, “Christmas is one time of the year that hasn’t changed at all for me over the years. I’ve stayed away from home for nearly half my life, but I’ve still never missed a Christmas lunch with my family. Being at home with my parents and brother is a tradition that will never change.”