Childhood Christmas memories that stay forever

 I feel connected to this festival not because I celebrate it in the traditional sense, but because of the memories associated with it from my childhood.

Coming from a convent school — a large one with a beautiful chapel within the premises — Christmas always had a special place in my growing-up years.

As a child, more than the Christmas vacation itself, I would eagerly look forward to Santa Claus. One of our teachers — tall, plump, and extremely warm — would dress up as Santa. To us, he was the real one.

We would receive chocolates, stickers, and small takeaway gifts, and the joy of that moment was unmatched.

Even though we knew what was coming every year, the excitement never reduced.

At one point, I even started kneeling and praying like a Catholic child, which worried my mother a bit. She would gently remind me that it was okay to admire and respect other faiths, but that I should follow our own way of praying. She was convinced I might end up converting someday 🙂

The Christmas crib has always fascinated me — Mother Mary, baby Jesus, Joseph, the animals, the three wise men, the shepherds — every figure had a quiet charm of its own.

And of course, the Christmas tree has always been a favourite.

The hymns our teachers sang and taught us still linger somewhere in memory. Even today, I can hum a few lines without effort.

These are simple, beautiful Christmas memories — of school, of innocence, of festive warmth, and of little joys that stayed long after childhood passed.