Rekindle the Santa Dream

Be a Santa everyday!!!#UnwrapChristmas

It only takes a spark to get the fire going.
And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing.
That’s how it is with God’s love,
Once you have experienced it
You want to sing
You feel like spring

You want to pass it on…

A few of us gathered together for Secret Santa tidings, divided by names and united through a common Christmas spirit of sharing. And it is in this spirit that we bring this blog chain to you.

I am thankful to Kala Ravi for passing on the baton of spreading Christmas joy and spirit.

It is here through words and my secret santee that I unwrap Christmas on my blog for you.

Christmas is not a festival... it is a feeling. Oh yes..another cliche ..so what ??? the truth must be told!!!

It is a feeling that lights you up,
That brings cheer to the face,
That ushers in new beginnings
That invokes the child in you
That also nudges the Santa inside
That makes you want to give
That makes you want to want
That resets the clock 
That sets the ball rolling
to bring in another year
And more than anything 
it is the feeling of faith
a belief that there is a Santa somewhere
who knows what you need
and when you open you eyes in the morning
your wish would be granted.

Don't we all want to believe in Santa. 

But somehow I feel that kids of today are embracing realities too soon than they should. They know so much that they feel so less. 

The other day I was speaking to a friend at work, and he was talking about how her eight year daughter daughter is growing up fast. This time when she was asked to make a wishlist, she matter- of-factly told her father that she knows there is nothing like Santa ... that she has always known that it is Mumma Papa who keep the gifts near the pillow when she is sleeping. So this time she has decided to directly tell her parents that she needs an "i-pad" for this Christmas.

I think it is time we need to redefine the meaning of Christmas for our kids.

I would rather urge all the parents out there to celebrate this Christmas with their kids with a difference. Instead of pampering your kid with more gifts, give him the gift of giving. Ask him to be the Santa for someone who is still living the dream of Santa. Someone who looks at that Christmas tree and the make believe gifts and wishes that he could get just one of them.

Make them visit an orphanage -- Let them know the joy of bringing smiles. 
Join a cause and make your kid a part of it.

Rekindle the Santa dream for your kid this Christmas. Make this Christmas meaningful.

One way of doing this is by giving children a home by supporting Divya Disha.  Corinne Rodrigues passionately works towards this cause and will be more than happy to share more information.

I now invite Shalini Nair to spread the message of Christmas and New years on her blog.







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Be a Santa everyday!!!#UnwrapChristmas

It only takes a spark to get the fire going.
And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing.
That’s how it is with God’s love,
Once you have experienced it
You want to sing
You feel like spring

You want to pass it on…

A few of us gathered together for Secret Santa tidings, divided by names and united through a common Christmas spirit of sharing. And it is in this spirit that we bring this blog chain to you.

I am thankful to Richa for passing on the baton of spreading Christmas joy and spirit.

It is here through words and my secret santee that I unwrap Christmas on my blog for you.

Christmas rings so many jingling bells for each of us. No matter how old we may look to the world outside, this is one day the child in us no matter how deep the corner of our hearts we have shoved it in, comes out running with red cheeks and sparkling eyes. Christmas is not an event or a date, it is a feeling. As they say save the best for the last, no wonder this comes just before we end the year.


Like everyone else, ever since my earliest memory I have also always waited for Christmas every year. I remember at school while all my friends always used to get excited by the idea of getting gifts from the Santa, somehow for me more than meeting Santa, being Santa was THE THING. I still remember the cheer and love Santa would get when he would throw up chocolates and cookies for us. And it used to fill up my heart thinking "Wow... what a lovely job he has!!!"

Over the years, I have realized that I love being Santa Claus more than being on the "receiving end" The idea of giving a thoughtful gift that can bring a smile on someones face is much more gratifying and humbling. And as they say, it is always the idea and the thought more than the tangible gift that makes people happy. Till now had always been sending gifts to the people I know, but this time thanks to Richa @ Corinne, for the first time I got a chance to send love to a stranger whom I have never met or known. And let me tell you it was super fun. And we all must try it sometime.


So on this Christmas, let me break some myths of giving gifts:

1. You need an event or a reason to send or give gifts

2. Gifts are for families and friend you have always known and loved

3. Gifts are tangible



The new rules are as follows:

1. Be a Santa everyday - You don't need a calendar for giving gifts

2. Send love to people unknown. A very lovely way of doing this is by sending postcards to people around the world. Use postcrossing for this.

3. Everything counts -Next time try a post-it, a letter or just a smile. That has just the same impact


Just spread happiness and smiles for no reason but happiness. And you will see much more comes back to you.

I now invite Kala to spread the message of Christmas and new years on her blog.

MERRY CHRISTMAS LOVELY PEOPLE!!!!


ps - Sometimes if you cant find  anyone to shower your love, do it for yourself. Have a look at how I pampered myself this Christmas!!!

Float - Haiku

captured on a random afternoon

old and new

life floats on green

seasons change

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What took you so long

I met love
In its full glory it shined from a distance
It lured me by its looks
But my fingers craved for the touch and feel
Of this endearing "must meet once in life" being

And so i went near it
Tried to wave at it and greet with a smile
I knew I had met him earlier somewhere
Seen it at close quarters
But something had changed

Yes those eyes
Those eyes are not  as clear as they used to be
Their innocence has evaporated in the dunes of time
They are not as dreamy
Realism has taken over

Love that was and love that is
Is it the same person I met twice
Or they are just look alikes
What separates one from another
They are so similar but yet so different

The first time I met love
It was so light on its feet
Always floating and bloating like a balloon
The hot air balloon that sweeped me off the ground
and took me along in its fairy tale world

But the new love is so grounded
Has put on some weight, well at the right places though...
those unkempt hair are now subtle and grey
and those eyes talk more than they speak
and those hands they are much more stronger to hold me tight 
and never let me go

And as I sit and wonder
Trying to make one from the another
A thought crosses my mind
Is it the love that has changed
Or the way I look at it

With the years left behind
and the moments lived and relished
one evolves and gets more real
and while trying to do that
the idea of love also changes

The love I met today
may not blind me with its bright light
but will still light me up
with happy thoughts and warm feelings
and keep me cozy every day

And all the while I was in my thoughts
love came and stood next to me
looked in my eyes 
looked through me
and said ..."What took you so long?"


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Feeling Blocked

Off late we all have been talking a lot about Writer's Block ...or in the blogosphere the better name for it would be Blogger's Block. Specially in the blog community that I am a part of, this word has been doing usual rounds recently. People seem to be catching it like flu. Honestly, I always shy away from using this word as a reason for my infrequent writing. To get into a Bloggers Block, I need to first reach the first symptom of this disease. The first symptom being a regular blogger.

But yes I do get into these blogging swings, and have always wondered the "why" of that phase and also struggled on the "How" of getting out of it. And finally the simple answer came from a chit chat session of two "no-nonsense" ladies of the squad - Corrine and Vidya. The truth stared right in my face when I read that conversation. I agree it is nothing but laziness that keeps us from writing. Yes, the slumber can come due to very many reasons, but to break the vacuum, we need to fight with the God of Slumber. 

(Do read the conversation here..its kind of fun to read) Click Here

So the conversation became a prompt for all the bloggers to write about their "tried and tested" tips around how to fight the Bloggers Block. So here are my nascently cultured pearls of wisdom:

Enjoy the Break - While you are at it..Enjoy it !! I feel the more we think about the block, the more the idea of getting back to writing gets distant and tougher. So I feel one must not think too hard or try too much. Writing should come naturally, because that is when it gets the best of you. If you do not have thoughts or opinions you particularly want to talk about ..so be it. Enjoy the silence till it lasts :)

Blog Surf - Something what always keeps me connected to blogging and the want to come back to it is reading what others bloggers have to say. I generally try not to lose touch with blog surfing and reading. Many times the muse to get back to it lies in some thoughts or posts that just connect to you and you get a feel.."Well ..this should have been my post"

Write for yourself - Do it for yourself. Many times bloggers may get into this self inflicted pressure of being the best every time. The fear for being judged for your thoughts can sometimes gets so heavy that you start rejecting all that you write thinking it doesn't make the cut for being published. While one thought is not to be so harsh on yourself the other is that sometimes writing just for your own self is also fun. I remember Corrine giving me this example once. She said that just like when a pen doesn't work we keep on writing on a rough paper till it gets the flow back...the same thing holds good for writing. And I could'nt agree more with her. So my fellow friends going through a block, do it on a rough page just for your eyes. Soon you will get the flow back.

Save a Date - This works for me. Sometime a self commitment is the biggest motivator. Like last time I had set a date for myself when I will get back on the blog. And from the time I committed to the day I had committed for, all the time in between my mental state auto corrected its lethargy, lack of ideas and inability to put the pen on paper and made me meet my commitment on schedule.

Sorry, but I cant think of a fifth tip. Actually so much has already been written about this and I trust more or less the thought that always works for all is the want to get back. If you love your writing you will always find your way back. And in the meantime, do not sulk. Fill up that time space with more reading, more contemplating and more feeling and observations.

So these were the thoughts of an amateur on the cure for a disease which I suffer a lot. For more ground realities and workable solutions please visit the Write Tribe entries on this prompt.

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