Tis the season to be jolly... or thats how the old Carol goes but how can you feel jolly without calling to mind all thats dear to you? To bring on that warm Christmassy feeling I call upon memories from deep within the recesses of my mind to generate an image of a nice cold Christmas night, snowed in or huddled in the manger among the farm animals, shepherds and angels awaiting the coming of Christ the King and the Three Wise Men from the East. However living in the Hot and humid country that is India we're a far cry away from snowy Christmas nights and Picture Postcard images of Snowmen in the Meadows, Real Coniferous Christmas trees and the rest. Also given the prevalent religious and cultural inclinations of the motherland Christmas wont shine as brightly as Diwali except for dominiantly Christian pockets like Bandra and IC Colony to name a few.
Dont need any of that really because Christmas is about Christs People, flesh and blood humans who wont melt away when the sun comes up! I've seen a score of such beautiful people across the years at camp. Lively people who sing and dance and trek merrily forgetting the busy lives and mad rush back home taking some time out to live in Christian Harmony... Just the way it should be. The best notion of a cold dark night is the Winter campfires in the October/November Camps or the privileged bunch of regular campers invited by Fr. Robin to spend an intimate quiet New Year away from the maddening crowds in Bombay. Not that the merry making was any different but the beauty was being in the company of people you know and can let you guard down with... Something thats getting quite difficult to do nowadays with the way the worlds turning. There'd be singing, dancing and a spirited night of Carol Singing in keeping with the Season, not to mention a dip in the Icy pools of DEAR or EDEN and dunking your head into a waterfall only to come out with your teeth chattering and a crackling Camp fire in the nights that was sure to warm the cockles of your heart.
Seasons Greetings Fellow Campers. Have a Fabulous Christmas and a Happy New Year 2013. God Bless.
Dont need any of that really because Christmas is about Christs People, flesh and blood humans who wont melt away when the sun comes up! I've seen a score of such beautiful people across the years at camp. Lively people who sing and dance and trek merrily forgetting the busy lives and mad rush back home taking some time out to live in Christian Harmony... Just the way it should be. The best notion of a cold dark night is the Winter campfires in the October/November Camps or the privileged bunch of regular campers invited by Fr. Robin to spend an intimate quiet New Year away from the maddening crowds in Bombay. Not that the merry making was any different but the beauty was being in the company of people you know and can let you guard down with... Something thats getting quite difficult to do nowadays with the way the worlds turning. There'd be singing, dancing and a spirited night of Carol Singing in keeping with the Season, not to mention a dip in the Icy pools of DEAR or EDEN and dunking your head into a waterfall only to come out with your teeth chattering and a crackling Camp fire in the nights that was sure to warm the cockles of your heart.
Seasons Greetings Fellow Campers. Have a Fabulous Christmas and a Happy New Year 2013. God Bless.
