How these Mumbaikars celebrate Christmas irrespective of their religion

lsquoI told Inaaya Santa takes the liftrsquoSoha Ali Khan actorauthorWe are at Soha Ali Khanrsquos tastefully done apartment in Khar and her dog Oreo a Maltese and Shih Tzu mix is playing with her as she poses for us with her Christmas tree ldquoWe had a play date here a few days ago and the kids made it with leftover scraps of paper We are a bunch of parents and we all take onus of one festivalmdashthis year it was Christmasrdquo she says sipping some green teaBut Khan says that she has been celebrating Christmas ever since she was growing up in DelhiThe treemaking workshop is held by art centre Crafty Bugs Atelier which is run by Chinky Sainani Afreen Ansari from Crafty Bugs helped the kids made the tree PicAshish RajeldquoBhai Saif was responsible for giving us gifts We would hang our socks near the fireplace leave snacks for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph Our brother was responsible for filling it up doing all the tam jham We often got very traditional gifts like an apple or a book Wonder what he gotmdashwe never bothered at that time because all we wanted was our own giftsrdquoThis year Khan along with husband Kunal Khemu and daughter Inaaya will head to Pataudi to celebrate on December 25 and bring in New YearrsquosKhan rues that here in Mumbai in the highrise that they stay in there is no concept of fireplaces ldquoSo Inaaya asked me lsquoHow will Santa comersquo I said lsquoHe will take the liftrsquordquo she says laughing ldquoThe kids also have been told the story of Christmas but they all want to know how Santa and Jesus are connectedrdquoAs part of the workshop the kids also wrote down what they wanted for Christmas and Khan says Inaayarsquos letter was a wholesome one ldquoShe understands Christmas is not about presentsmdashshe wrote a letter and asked for world peace and for her family to be happy In the end though she slipped in that she wanted a cookery set She loves bakingrdquoDreaming of a Black ChristmasShruti Haasan actorsingerFor Shruti Haasan it was a natural choice to extend her goth aesthetic to Christmas celebrations as well This year Haasan will be away on a shoot during the festivities but that hasnrsquot curbed her enthusiasm to decorate her allblack tree as has been her tradition for a couple of years agoHaasanrsquos dark tree is adorned with twinkly lights and silver ornaments along with a silver star for its crowning glory The only nod to colour is a skirt of brilliant red poinsettias and green and red tinsel at the foot of the treeHow did people react the first time she did up a black tree ldquoThey thought itrsquos cool that it was funrdquo she saysShruti Haasan puts her own stamp on festivities with the choice to go with a black treeWhile sharing joy with family and friends still remain central to her celebrations Haasan put her own stamp on the festivities with the choice to go with a black tree instead of the traditional greenTherersquos no goth dress code for her Christmas parties though In fact Christmas is the one day when even Haasan puts aside her dark aesthetic ldquoI might throw on a bit of redrdquo she says adding ldquoFor me Christmas holds a lot of beautiful childhood memoriesmdashgrowing up in Chennai having a Christmas tree and having all my friends come over I also have a lot of Christian friends Irsquove grown up around the culture of celebrating Christmas so itrsquos been a big part of my liferdquolsquoItrsquos about keeping traditions aliversquoSarika Motiani with her Christmas deacutecor at home PicAshish RajeSarika Motiani hairstylistChristmas is special as itrsquos a very happy vibe and brings the family togetherrdquo says Sarika Motiani who transforms her living space with Christmas decorations every December Motiani whose husband Avinash Jagtiani lived in Hong Kong for a while says it was a part of his childhoodmdashgoing to parties singing carols and having authentic Christmas lunchmdashand so he has continued all the traditions his father started ldquoEverything is bought at Hill Road and some from Amazon The lights are lit up every morning and at night and it makes us happy It makes us feel like there is a festival happeningrdquoStaying true blue to their rootsPriyanka Paul and Shrujana Shridhar artists and illustratorsWhen Priyanka Paul moved out of her family home into her own place in Bandra that she shares with friend and fellow artist Shrujana Niranjani Shridhar it was a chance for her to celebrate in the way she had always wantedmdasha Blue Christmas to bring her overlapping identities as a Christian and Dalit togetherPriyanka dons a blue Santa hat right An anticaste greeting card designed by her featuring ldquoPeriyar SantardquoldquoTherersquos no Dalit Christian practice Our history culture was robbed from usrdquo says Paul who has been a vocal proponent of the anticaste movement ldquoThe nature of caste is so pervasive that it has stuck with Dalit Christians even after conversion Within the church and Christians in India casteism is prevalent Brahmin Christians call themselves Brahmin Christians So we canrsquot all be considered as one and unitedrdquoHer childhood Christmases were always traditional but having her own space for the first time meant Paul could ldquochoose whatrsquos important to me and how to make Christmas reflect thatrdquo For someone who grew up in an intercaste mixedreligion home amid Hindu Christian and Buddhist cultures weaving her Dalit identity into the celebrations is also a way for Paulmdashwho is not a practising Christianmdashto reconnect with her faithPriyanka Paul and Shrujana Shridhar host a Blue Christmas party complete with a blue tree and a dress code to matchWhy Blue Christmas ldquoItrsquos is an important colour for the anticaste movement BR Ambedkar famously wore blue suitsrdquo she says The fact that December 25 1927 is also the day that Ambedkar had burned the Manusmriti as a mark of resistance against casteism and sexism makes it all the more symbolicThe duo now intend to make an annual tradition of it after the success of their first Blue Christmas last year Their flat was done up entirely in blue from the tree to decor accents like ribbons and buntings to even the tableware Everyone wore blue including Shridharrsquos bowtiesporting dog BombilIt was a conscious decision to bring into focus the true spirit of Christmas which in recent years has been appropriated into a capitalist festival she says ldquoAt a time when minorities are under threat in the country even Christmas is being whitewashed into a lsquowinter festivityrsquo to the point where itrsquos no longer a festival for Christians Now itrsquos more about hot chocolate than Jesus Christrdquo she ruesldquoChristmasrdquo she says ldquois the season of generosity and a time to be thankful for all you have Itrsquos about cooking and eating together All our friends had come over and we made grilled chicken mashed potatoes and chorizo pulao We sang carols I made them greeting cards featuring anticaste activist Periyar SantardquoItrsquos important to highlight the joy of the anticaste movement which so often gets shrouded by the struggle says Paul ldquoOur happiness is also politicalrdquo