“Ding dong merrily on high………..in heaven the bells … lalaaalaaala ……….” Do you enjoy listening to carols that sometimes start 2 or 3 months before Christmas? Do they give you a high? Or……
is that how you feel? Are you a Christmas Gringe?!
I love Christmas carols, they give me a warm, fuzzy, happy anticipatory feeling……. that something really wonderful is going to happen…. I’m not Christian and yet, I just love Christmas, I love the annual family reunion, the preparations, decorating your home. I love the festive food… the pomp & circumstance… cheery, loud table settings, yes, I luuuuurveee them one and alllll!!
Festive Christmas table setting ideas from Tiffinware
The glitzy, kitsch decorations, a large tasteful/less Christmas tree, with the whole 9 yards. Christmas must be the most opulent and loud festival, its obvious with the percentage of Christians worldwide (32%), Muslims are the next largest community, and the Hindus (15.48%) worldwide; the festival of Diwali, comes a close second to Christmas. Muslim celebrations seem to be home based rather than obvious decorations (thats as far as I’m aware, so don’t judge me, please educate me!!) Diwali is all about giving thanks, gift giving, like Christmas, but also cleansing your home and garden as its usually celebrated at the end of summer, white-washing away the effects of the endless heat, then the monsoon rains. To me both festivals now seem to be just about giving, receiving & feasting – the religious background of these festivals has almost been overtaken by acres of sweet-meats, shiny decorations, twinkly garlands of lights and lanterns, serious opulence, Santa Claus, his present sacks and Rudolph!
Although I am Sikh, we have celebrated Christmas for as long as I can remember as we lived overseas for many years with our family friends and that tradition has stuck.
Christmas Lunch would not be the same without the gravy and this stunning Gravy Boat and Ladle are the perfect table accessories
I thank you, my wonderful family & friends for joining us and humouring me all these years and we have had many, many beautiful Christmas celebrations.
Sikh festivities are a bit more restrained; our main celebration, the birth of our first Guru, usually falls (governed by the lunar calendar) just before winter sets in. We (my family) have traditionally given everyone who works for us winter clothes, blankets, bedding and we serve them a nice meal (langar) instead of the obligatory gifts of whisky or chocolates at Christmas or Thanksgiving.
There’s nothing more cheering that a gorgeous table at Christmas.
I hope you and yours have a good Christmas, ours is going to be a nice quiet one this year with just our children, no extended family or partners. Relax, rise late, enjoy our croissants and coffee, open presents (which will be very modest, due to the general condition of the economy, ours and the worlds!!) and slide into a very late Christmas lunch with all the traditional trimmings…. sigh, can’t wait!
God bless us, every one. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!
By the way, I love the snow drifting across my blog 🙂
Tiffinware 