We were at midnight mass last year. Standing on the grounds of St. Andrews. The choir harking us to listen to heralding angels. When Mahia
[My now eight,then seven year old daughter] tugged at me and excitedly told me that she saw him. Who? Santa.
She saw Santa flashing through the night sky above Bandra in his sleigh pulled by reindeer. Her eyes sparkled with excitement and she was sure he was headed to our place to drop her Christmas present off.
Every year she’d missed him. She’d fallen asleep to find Santa had visited and left. There below the tree were the presents she’d wanted.
She knew that the Santa’s that she saw at Christmas parties or the mall or with carol singers were just actors. The real Santa was the one she always missed. Until now. A year went by. She came back from school one day and asked me ” Is there a Santa ? “
Why? Because her teacher told her that there is no real Santa. The great big Santa conspiracy that every parent is a part of was exposed. I’d fooled her these eight short years.
Mary saw the angel Gabriel. The shepherds saw choirs of angels with the heavens unfolded. The three wise men saw a star. On St. Andrew’s grounds on that Christmas night I
Was it a fire cracker? A stray shooting star ? A welding arc on one of the highrises ? Maybe. But through Mahia’s eyes , I saw Santa.
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SOPHIE CHOUDRY
DIANA HAYDEN
CAROL GRACIOUS
CHETAN HANSRAJ
Christmas is the time for giving and instead of spending loads of money on new clothes and parties; you can brighten up someone else’s day by donating. St. Catherine’s Home is a home for children from the streets, broken homes and orphanages. They offer primary education and also teach children crafts and run an institute for inter-religious understanding. You can do your bit by donating items they said they need this Christmas. 
Though it’s a bit late this time, the winter season has come in and with full force. With the chilly breeze blowing it’s the perfect time to eat some hot grilled food. A tiny shop no actually stall at pali has sprung up and offers customers the perfect solution to a cold winters night. The place is called ‘Charcoal Grill’ and they don’t have a big menu nor can they offer you delicacies but they do offer you the mouthwatering malai tikka , tandoori, seekh kabab, paneer tikka, aloo tikka and even mushroom tikka. Here you have two options you can have your food either grilled or in a roll, grills are about Rs65 to Rs90 and rolls around Rs30 to Rs50. They even deliver if your order is above Rs100 and are having a special 10% discount on all items.
You might not know it, but you already have a lot in common with Bonobo. The latest entry into the Bandra nightlife scene is named after an endangered ape which has 98% the same DNA as us (yes even you). 
Although many residents are still skeptical about attending parties at five star hotels, the Taj Lands End is playing host to a rocking party. But the new year all about bringing in new change, forgetting the past and looking forward to the future. If you think the same way I do then I suggest you stick your head out to the change, take the road less travelled and say ‘BRING IT ON!’ This just happens to be the theme of the New years eve dance at Taj Lands end. This New Year Eve they are celebrating ‘Generation Next’, the cohort of young adults who have grown up with new thoughts, visions, bigger & better lifestyles. In store for you will be seated dinner tables and VIP tents in the lawns along with unlimited food and drinks(the hot kind). 
A typical Christmas day would be opening presents Santa and wishing everyone a ‘Merry Christmas’. Later everyone sits down to have a hearty Christmas lunch followed by a long overdue siesta. Sounds lovely doesn’t it?. But what do you do after that? You would normally go a Christmas party but most of the party’s in Bandra if not all are cancelled. Don’t fret, those who love music and the open air will love whats in store for them come Christmas evening. The Times of India is organizing and evening of Jazz with performers like Gary Lawyer and Louis Banks who will be playing some of their favourites and of course some Christmas carols. 
There’s a famous Christmas carol which goeas a little something like this,”I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”, when i hear that song i always wonder of what it would be like if it actually snowed in Bandra. I think it would simply be amazing and wonderful to say the least. Well in an effort to bring to all of us a white Christmas, ‘Poison’ is hosting a White Christmas party with London’s very own Dj Assad. So go ahead, party the night away this Christmas and lets all pray for white Christmas this year. 
As expected Zenzi will be celebrating Christmas a little differently. The “bohemian artclub” will start off their three day celebrations on Christmas eve and it’s going on right till the 26th. On the 24th there will be a performance by Kris Correya, Armeet and Dooj. They will be mixing electronic and visual elements with live trombone riffs and percussive elements. The following evening will include DJ Mikhail and the 26th will play host to Raffael and Kris from the BBC. Dooj, who will be playing tonight say,”It’s going to be a very lively and cheerful evening. People should come because it’s going to be loads of fun… even though there is no Santa coming.” So, if you don’t fancy the carols you can head to Zenzi for some breakbeat, percussion, trombone and much more. 
On the sixth day of Christmas your love may not be able to give you a six-geese-a-laying but they could get you a pass to a dance. Although most of the Christmas dances this year have been cancelled there are a few that are still up and running. So if you’re in the mood to dress up and put on your dancing shoes then head to Mount Carmel’s. The formal Christmas dance is inclusive of dinne and since it’s Christmas you have to be dressed up… properly! No jeans allowed. The best part is that you don’t need to have a partner to attend the event. A singles pass will cost you Rs.200 and if you are taking a date along it will be Rs.350. The evening will have a lot of classic music as well as festive carols. Around 150 people are already expected to come.
inbandra 