Bringing home the beginnings of Christmas

Nothing puts me in the festive mood faster than roaming leisurely around the markets of the city and gazing at the gorgeous things on display. That is exactly what happened yesterday, when we shopped for new Christmas decorations for the tree at home at Shivajinagar and Safeena Plaza. I know a lot of people who tell me that these are not the best places to go to for Christmas decorations, but I loved the experience. I loved spending the afternoon hunting for pieces that were different from the other stalls, bargaining with the vendors, and splurging in general. Snowflakes, tinsel, silver balls and red berries were among the shiny, glittery things we brought home yesterday. We haven’t yet begun to do up our tree, but we are sure looking forward to it!

A stall selling Christmas decorations at Shivajinagar

Another stall in Shivajinagar

At Shivajinagar again – isn’t he cute?!

I wonder why I never visited Safeena Plaza before yesterday – everyone and their grannies have been shopping there, and it is one of the most famous places in Bangalore! I loved the place, with its stalls selling everything from Christmas decorations and artificial jewellery to clothes and handicrafts. I am surely going there again, with much more time on hand, and exploring the place at my own pace.

In fact, walks through Shivajinagar and Safeena Plaza have been added to our yearly list of things to do before Christmas, from next year onwards, if only to gawp at the decorations for sale. The OH and I have built up certain traditions over the years we have been together, a list of things that we do without fail, and these two things have been added to the Christmas-time list, which includes a visit to St. Mary’s Basilica, gaping at the decorations in the various malls of Bangalore, buying fruit cake, and visiting the annual cake exhibition (Have you read my posts on the cake exhibition in 2011 and 2012?). It warms my heart to think that we might have set in place something that will continue to be a part of our lives in the years to come, that we will do them with our children some day. It makes me feel like part of a family.

We also brought home a lovely plum cake, with just the right amount of sweet and notes of spiciness in it. The plan is to keep some for us and to divide the rest among the extended family. In the foreseeable future at least, there are going to be slices of plum cake after dinner. I am still following a trying-to-eat-healthy-and-live-healthy routine, but plum cake is something I just cannot scrimp on. I don’t like calling it fruit cake; plum cake sounds much more exotic anyway!

This year’s cake exhibition is on, at the St. Joseph’s College grounds, and I think it will be till the 29th. Next weekend, maybe.

Is it beginning to look like Christmas where you are, too?