Santa for rich, Santa for poor

When the entire city was painted in red, I decided to add a tinge of it to my home as well. It was Christmas Eve and unlike previous years this time we had plans. A beautiful green Pine tree bonsai was placed in the center of the living room. Few minutes were dedicated to decorate it with relevant paper pictures of Santa, its reindeer (which required deep concentration while cutting the curves & edges). We put bells and stars and string of lights around it. Cotton balls turned into snow to cover its stem, the ground and its leaves, making it appear a proper December fest. A packet of sweets surrounded it from left to right. The celebration was incomplete without the real Santa secretly placing gifts under the tree for everyone in the family.

That rooted for playing the game- Secret Santa and fetching presents for the name you happen to get in the random pick a chit. Though it was thrilling & made us put on the warmest clothes to roam around the streets of Delhi in chilling winters. It also made me ponder on the needs of the person, I was supposed to be the Santa for. Even though we are all part of a family, we tend to look over the needs of each other. I interpreted this game as an opportunity for understanding the person better & gifting something worthy.

While we all were on the mission to buy presents, we came across a little boy on the street running barefoot with torn clothes to get some water to drink. Was it really a Christmas for him? My sister suggested getting him something that could improve his condition. Feeling pleased with her thought, I was driven into another. Multiple questions hit me like a storm. I went on toppling over shops to find a good enough present. Good enough for the receiver, good enough for me. We exchanged gifts that night, celebrated in nice clothes, had great dinner, appreciated each other’s efforts and understanding of the need for the present. Post party, happily we departed to our rooms with gifts in our hands. A few, immediately went into the wardrobe & some taken for usage. I stared at the tree, thinking of the Santa who was to get a pair of shoes for the ripped feet, a sheet of clothing to wrap the cold body and some not so delicious food to fill in the empty stomach. Just like the little lad on the street, there are several in real need of Santas. If we can’t find them one, let’s be one!

Originally posted at my blog : https://garimamupadhyayblog.wordpress.com/2017/01/02/santa-for-rich-santa-for-poor/