Contemplations and Ruminations

(December 17th, 2020) When there are two homes to decorate the fun is amplified. Here are a few pictures of the Christmas tree and the nativity crib in Chennai home and my hometown. The Ajrakh roof Christmas crib The angel tree topper I made last year… it survived all the squashing away. My brother did say, it looked like it was on steroids. Baby Jesus The tree and crib in Chennai Little paper doily angels… and pinecones. Can you see the elephants in front carrying angels… they add a nice Indian vibe. The crib in my hometown Hometown Christmas Tree The warm lights of Christmas The Nativity tree ornament Here’s a look at last year’s decor, Christmas 2019 . Hope everyone is having a wonderful, safe and blessed Christmas season.

Another year, 2020, how fast the years roll by... the transition from 2019 to 2020 was fun enough, surrounded by family, friends and  an influx of angels. I saw a paper doily angel online and since then this is what I have been making in December, an army of paper doily angels... To be placed in the crib, a t last count there were about 23 angels in the crib in my hometown... Ah, Christmas is fun even though I couldn't get into the whole giddy Christmas mood this year. I don't know why, I kept listening to Winter Song by Fernando Ortega and My Favourite Time of the Year by The Florin Street Band , to get into the high spirited mood of Christmas... and though that helped a bit, everything was kinda subdued and serene. I guess Christmas as a festival just isn't appealing anymore, but Christmas as a time where love comes to stay in the form of family and friends who travel home for the holidays is more meaningful. Christmas is more than the lights on the tree, ...

There’s a beautiful song called Christmas in Heaven , where Scotty McCreery, the singer, wonders how a loved one who has passed away is celebrating Christmas. Scotty sings: Are you kneeling with shepherds before Him now?  Can you reach out and touch His face? Are you part of that glorious Holy Night? I wonder what Christmas in Heaven is like. We’ve all lost loved ones, and the memories will always remain, but how are we going to remember the ones who died (and those who remain traumatised) due to the deep malaise that infects society. Rape is the sort of horror that cannot be put into words because words do not exist to describe what Aruna Shanbaug, Jyoti Singh, Asifa, Priyanka Reddy, the Unnao case survivor and countless others went through. As we prepare to welcome the new born Christ into our homes, let us first examine our hearts and find out where the sickness lies. We live in a society, and the family is the basic building block of any society. The first seven y...

The year-end transitions are always the most exciting of times. Family comes down from wherever they are and tickets are booked to travel from one home to another. December is always exciting... and here are a few pictures of 2018 gi ving way to 2019.  The crib in Chennai home... I liked the little waterfalls in the corner and the angel near the falls.  Snowflakes on my door...  Celebrating the spirit of jólabókaflóð... Making wreaths with Jen... Making mulled wine... A Christmas midnight selfie... Haha... dressed up like this pretty angel I fell in love with. Celebrating Christmas with Filter kapi mousse... The crib in Nagercoil... Elephants at the entrance to the crib... A view of baby Jesus... Chocolates... Birthday of the twins... Cauliflower crust pizza... Our new year tradition... spending the last day of the year listening to the waves and playing in the sands that made us. Trying out our photogr...