A young man stepped out of the car in a great hurry, he went to open the back door of the car and a young pregnant lady stepped out. It seemed that she was heavily pregnant and in labor and the young man was frantic. He kept ringing the bell of the Doctor’s Clinic several times. The elderly Doctor opened his window and seeing the situation below him, he along with his wife and two teenage daughters rushed to the aid of the young couple.

It was two minutes past midnight on Christmas Eve when the young man’s wife Radha gave birth to their first born, a healthy and happy baby boy. Raj was very proud to be a father. The Doctor, his family, the young couple and their newborn child went into a sound sleep, after all the excitement of the night.

The Sun rose brightly in the sky the next morning, it was Christmas Day. The town seemed to be happier as news spread of the birth of the first child after ten years in the small township.

That Christmas morning every citizen of Lawrenceganj found a beautiful musical Christmas card playing “Silent night, Holy night”, placed in each of their homes beside the Christmas trees. Each card was filled with Christmas wishes and New Year wishes. All the Christmas cards were signed by “The Christmas Angel”. Lawrenceganj was alive again with music, joy and the sound of a child’s laughter.

Grandma’s Christmas Cookies

Tracy always looked forward to Christmas, since she was a child. She loved the Holiday season, the festivity in the air and a Calcutta Christmas with her grandparents and family, which made the festival so very special.

Every year the pattern of preparations was the same or similar. Christmas was three weeks away. Tracy’s parents were getting their home ready for the occasion. The Christmas tree with colorful decorations were bought by Tracy’s Dad from the New Market.

Two weeks before Christmas, Tracy’s mother and grandmother would cut all the dried fruits for the Christmas cakes. They would then take the flour and ingredients to the Bakery in McLeod street, to have the cakes baked.

During the Christmas week from the 22nd to the 24th heaps of egg shells could be seen scattered on the pavements outside the Bakeries, where lines of people were gathered to have their Christmas cakes baked.

Grandma started making all her Christmas cookies at least ten days before Christmas. Tracy loved the smell of the “rosa-cookies” and the “Kul-kuls”. Tracy enjoyed helping her grandmother make all these tasty Christmas treats for the family and friends, as Tracy’s two brothers helped their father make the Christmas crib.

Tracy would always carry these special memories and cherish them, even though she would be in Canada, which was simply miles and miles away from the small city of Calcutta, where her family still lived.

Children like Tracy never forget the sweet moments spent during Christmas and New Year celebrations with their families, friends, wherever in the world they may be. A special wish goes out to all those who are far away from their parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, “Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2003” with your families and friends.

The Christmas Email

It was Christmas Day when Arlene received the Christmas email message filled with the good news of…

Arlene C. had left Calcutta 45 years ago for Australia when she was a teenager. It was now 45 years later, she was a grandmother and she wanted to find her long lost cousin Dulcie, who had lived in Calcutta all those years ago.

Arlene approached a known agency in Calcutta which promptly started a complete search for a substantial fee. Her friends had warned her to be cautious when selecting an agent to track down her cousin.

As part of the complete search, advertisements with photographs, a brief history, contact address, phone and email were printed in several newspapers and magazines throughout India. A lot of false information was also received which was investigated. In addition to this promotion, special posters were designed and distributed among clubs, associations and church groups. The “cousin-search” was also posted on several Anglo-Indian and Indian web sites, groups, clubs on the Internet.

One year later, on Christmas Day, Arlene received an email from her cousin Dulcie, in Canada. She had eventually found her dear cousin who was a grandmother, and a widow with two married children.

All searches do not necessarily yield fruitful results. However, at least an effort needs to be made. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2003 and may all your dreams, hopes and wishes be fulfilled.