HARKING BACK TO THE CHRISTMAS OF YORE

Christmas is finally upon us.

The season and not the day itself, I mean. Sometime in June, I remarked to a friend that Christmas was taking a mighty long time to come this year.

But, lo and behind, it is here and the days will pass by soon enough before Dec 25 dawns and church bells ring.Christmas has always held a unique allure for me because I grew up beside the Zion Lutheran Cathedral (church only then) in Brickfields with a myriad activities on its premises from the beginning of Advent (the first Sunday of the Christmas season) until Christmas Day service at the church.

There was no way I could have missed any of the happening at church as my late father, Rev D. Moses, was a leader of the church and expected his family to fully participate in the Christmas programme.

This meant taking part in the annual Sunday School pageant, the carols from my teenage years onwards and the numerous services that filled the four Sundays until Christmas Day.

Then, there were the preparations at home. We, the four children (and I am quite sure our parents too), had a whale of a time as the Moses family did what was necessary to get ready for the greatest day of the year.

It was really a season of joy more than a one-day happening as we eagerly lived every day from Advent with the joy that only kids can derive from anticipating a day of food and fun.

It would begin sometime early in December when the lorry from F and N and another company whose names skips my mind screeched to a halt at the kerb. The salsmen would soon knock on the doors of Christian families to find out how many crates of aerated water we needed.

The crates would be stacked out back beside the kitchen with a warning from our parents not to touch the coloured drinks which were meant for visitors to our home.

And there were scores of visitors who would wander over from church on Christmas day or the legion of relatives and friends who would stop by before or after the festival.Our house was a must stop for the many who knew my parents.

We kids would invite our friends over on the sly for a quick drink or two.My mother and a house help would also start preparing sweetmeats and savoury Tamil cakes from the first week of December.

The murukku, achi murukku, candy, kothu urundai (sweet balls of gram), nei urundai (ghee balls) would be placed in large biscuit tins and deposited in the store room.But our hands would soon find their way into the repositories for goodies with the attendant scolding and threats from my mother following suit.

The Big Sister fruit cake would be stached in a cupboard under lock and key and away from our hands looking for something to nibble at tea time.Where has this brand gone?

It used to have large cherries that would make a little boy's day and smaller but sizeable raisins which used to taste great after lunch or dinner. The carolling sessions, usually over three days, must get honorable mention here. They usually degenerated into eating binges in between rounds of singing Christmas carols from home to home.

By the end of the day, the younger members of the carol party would be almost sick with all manner of food and drink taken in excess while one or two of the older ones would have to sent home in taxi's in various stages of inebriation.

And soon the big day would arrive and we would go to church in our Christmas best. Today, much has gone out of the Christmas I used to know and love.

We work until a few days before D-day and then try to catch a little rest over the holidays with a couple of church services in between.

So, here's to preparing for Christmas.

Enjoy.