Did you wait
for your gift from Santa, during your
childhood days? Did you also believe that Santa had left a gift for you at
midnight, when you were asleep? Do you still wait for your gifts?
Yes, we are talking about the culture of receiving and giving
gifts during the Christmas season. Are the gifts still important or is its
importance fading away?
Preksha Pawar, a resident of Bangalore said, “I have waited with
much eagerness for this time of the year. I was looking forward to playing
secret Santa with my fellow batch mates, where we exchange gifts. I love the
feeling of writing a personalized letter to my friends in Goa. The amount of
mental peace and satisfaction which I receive after expressing myself is
immense. Nothing can ever match that experience.”
Sweets play an important part of the celebrations. Donna
Fernandes, a resident from Benaulim said, “We have been preparing sweets for
the past one week. According to me, there can be nothing better than sweets as
a gift, because we have specially made it for our own people with love. We have
prepared neureos, dodol, doce and patoleo till now, there are yet some more,
left to be prepared.”
Xevia Gomes said, “The pandemic hit us hard, we were not able to
celebrate Christmas with much enthusiasm for the last two years. Gifts are
those cute little things that keep us connected. It is a gesture of showing
love towards your own people. It was difficult to even share gifts for the last
two years, the danger of spreading the virus kept us apart. Finally this year,
we have got the opportunity.” She added that she has been preparing cards for
all her friends and had decided to personally visit and give it to them.
There are even those
people who receive gifts from their friends and families settled abroad. One of
them being Mario Pereira who is a resident of Mapusa. He said, “My cousins are
in London. It’s been 20 years since they left, but never in this span, have
they forgotten to wish me. I have received their cards every year.” He further
said that the happiness and excitement of receiving a card is still the same as
it used to be in his childhood days.
Baking is a skill
which is very common among Goans. Frenzy Fernandes, a baker from Margao said, “
I remember baking cakes with my dad during my childhood during Christmas. Now,
it’s time when I will bake a cake for him. I am super excited and nervous too.”
She further added that those were the best days of her life when she could
spend time with her family and enjoy every little moment without any tension.
With age, she said comes a lot of responsibilities which was fun, but at times
one had to compensate for small little things which gave one a lot of
happiness.
While the season had
brought a lot of joy and happiness to families, there were quite a few people
who had lost their loved one’s during the pandemic which meant they would not
be celebrating Christmas this year. A resident of Panjim said, “I lost my mom
in the early months of this year, due to COVID-19. We will not be celebrating
Christmas this year. We are keeping everyone in our prayers and praying they enjoy
good health throughout. That would be the best gift for mankind now.”
Christmas all brings
people together regardless of religion. Syed Moufez, a resident of Nessai said,
“I wait for the sweets from my neighbours. It is that time of the year, when we
get all the varieties of Goan sweets. The best part of all is that it is
homemade and healthy, so you can have it as much as you want.”
Gifts
are those elements of love and gratitude that keep up the spirit of people. It
can be in any form or nature, but it becomes special when it carries a part of
you in it.
