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CHRISTMAS IS HERE WITH ITS WINTRY THRILLS AND CHILLS!
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CHRISTMAS IS HERE WITH ITS WINTRY THRILLS AND CHILLS!

Uncategorized December 12, 2025 , by

CHRISTMAS in Goa is always a happy experience and what I still love to do the most is go driving down south Goa at night time to take a dekho of all the Bethleham cribs set out so creatively in gardens and here and there in churches, chapels, private homes…the stable crib scene with sheep and lamb looking in at Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus, the visiting three kings, the stars in the sky and all the Christmas carols on the angels singing hosannas to the “king” who was born. Can’t help thinking we really don’t know the real story of Jesus but that’s the case with many religious-based stories, half-history, half-God alone knows what. But we know the about the life and times of Jesus Christ, the evil Romans and the birth of Christianity as it stepped out of older Pagan rites and rituals into Christian adoration and much else. I studied in a convent out on the island of Penang in Malaysia so I know something about Christianity – we had to recite “Our Father in heaven” and “Hail Mary full of grace…” every morning in the morning attendance. It was fine with me although my mother complained to my father I may become a “Chistan!” I could have, but I didn’t, although my dearest friends in Goa today are Christians of the Roman Catholic faith.
Never mind all that. Christmas in Goa is always a lovely time with all the X’mas sales and array of Goan sweets including the traditional X’mas cake, plum cake, German stollen, all the pretty caju and almond marzipans and jujubes, yule log, ginger cookies, marshmallows…etc. The Goans sweets of dodol and bebinca and bol sans rival, of course my favorite doce de grao and the intricate snow white candied coconut beauty of gonz. The hubby will tell me to go buy some plum cake and doce and neuri and whatever else I want most of which he will devour, skipping lunch kichadi or dinner papri chaat for some days….
OF COURSE, prices of Christmas goodies keep going up with Christmas cake stuffed with dried fruit the priciest, but a bit goes a long way or so to speak. I have eaten my fair share of Christmas treats and I’m happy even if I say no to many of them now…although I have a soft corner for dark chocolates only! Say I’m spoilt in Goa even if so much sour and bitter has entered into public life in recent times to spread sadness instead of happiness….truly, I don’t feel like celebrations and entertainments anymore and that is the truth. The time for “khao, piyo and mazha karo” is gone and like my friends I seek get well holidays all the time in Ayurveda or naturopathy retreats. It would be great if over Christmas I could go indulge in mud therapy on a balmy sunshine filled morning…I mean coat myself all over in mud and let it dry till I feel deliciously tight and blissfully asleep, then wash off with cold water and feel utterly born anew! The Ayurveda massages too have a knack of making one feel alive anew…but your therapist must be trained, not just anybody, okay.
MORE than a plethora of mainstream Allopathy hospitals I’m beginning to realize how much today’s world is in need of good old-fashioned sanitariums with alternate medicine and therapies input – with the main focus being on naturopathy and slow healing back to fighting fit life. Why fighting fit life, why should we have to fight if we are fit in mind and body, heart and soul! Alas, when we turn the act of living into merchandise, we also turn health into merchandise and everything along with it which defines the good life – clean air, clean earth, clean water, clean food. All of which is so well integrated in caretaking of the bosom and womb of mother earth or mother nature…all of which today is so vitiated that we’ve lost the very raison d‘tet of life and living.
ALL of which reminds me there’re several Christmas time sales on currently and I always look forward to them if only to say hello to the familiar self-help group women from whom I buy this, that or the other…pretty little floral hairpieces put out by Seema Narwani, she tells me she gets her collection of silky floral hair adornments from Singapore; then there’re the home-styled pickles of Mandharan Creations, this time Bhavana from Shimla also put out bottles of freshly-made “kala gajar” or black carrots probiotic drink, also yummylicious not so sweet paneer gulab jamun fried in desi ghee…Sweta Kumar’s Tarang fairs are well organized and after her Diwali fair came the Christmas fair at the lovely neglected pocket Francisco Luis Gomes garden down the Campal promenade over the Dec9-10 weekend.
I always get zapped by the amount of fragrant candles and all manner of artificial silk flowers on sale; also attire and some very fancy stuff for home use like I almost bought this battery operated night lamp to put on a writing table …all kinds of confectionary of course with Goa having its own dazzling roll call of Goan sweets from the exotic bebinca to doce de grao and crunchy kulkuls (Rs800kg at one stall), I’ll skip the rest although I will say the little baked custard tarts are to live for and almost Rs100 each now. Some treats one may see only at Christmas time like Christmas plum cakes priced this year from Rs250 to Rs600 half kg packs. It’s hard to find good crème éclairs or croissants or bol sans rival!
Well, do drop by at one or another one of these fairs for the countdown to Christmas has begun and I hope no more tragedies in Goa please of the night club variety.

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