It’s that time of year when something charmingly familiar hangs in the air and says it all. There is an unexplainable joy in seeing giant X’mas trees lit up at public spaces across cities, music reverberating through the December chill, flavours and fragrances heightening the mood, and a sudden cheerfulness surrounding the festivities. Caps, costumes, trees and Christmas paraphernalia are sold and bought with equal enthusiasm. It is that magical time when one may not believe in theology, yet the feeling arrives unfailingly, year after year, leaving us wondering why Christmas still works on us.
A Festival Beyond Faith
Sales and marketing professional-turned-actor Raymond Francisco describes Christmas as a cultural ritual rather than merely a religious one, and rightly so. Francisco, born in Delhi in the 1960s and raised in Kolkata, says, “Ask any non-Christian in Kolkata about their favourite festivals, and you’ll hear the same answer again and again: Durga Puja and Boro Din (Christmas).”
For some magical reason, he says, Kolkata has made Christmas entirely its own. “In the City of Joy, Christmas isn’t borrowed; it belongs. The city’s artistic soul transforms Boro Din into a festival of music, poetry, song, and dance.” Food, he adds, is the true religion. “Festive treats, generous spreads, and tipple add a distinct flavour. Bakeries like Flurys, Nahoum’s, and Mocambo are visited with the same devotion as a Pujo bhog counter. Bowbazar, Park Street, and Allen Gardens resemble Pujo pandals, filled with lights, crowds, and excitement.”
Currently based in Mumbai, Francisco observes that if Kolkata has Anglo-Indians, Bombay belongs to the warm-hearted East Indians, a community woven into the city’s Christmas spirit. Descendants of coastal farmers and fishermen who embraced Christianity centuries ago, they gave the city its bells, bands, and festive soul. He offers a virtual walkthrough of Bandra, Dhobi Talao, Mazgaon, Santacruz, Byculla, and Borivali, describing lanes filled with the scent of Christmas goodies. “Hill Road, Crawford Market, and Colaba glow with fairy lights; shoppers spill onto the streets, and tailors work overtime. The Bandra Christmas Bazaar and parties at Willingdon Sports Club are unmissable. Kids’ Christmas tree parties are pure magic. Christmas in Mumbai is sweet, noisy, colourful, and full of heart, much like the city itself,” he adds.
The Warmth of Nostalgia
Over the years, Christmas has subtly shifted from religion toward emotion, becoming more about belonging than belief. For screenwriter, filmmaker, and chef Amit Mehra, Christmas is a time machine. The smells, sounds, and visuals trigger childhood memories of Delhi in the 1980s, when winters felt especially alive after the city’s long, punishing summers.
“For a few short months, Delhi came alive again,” he recalls. “Markets, parks, and Christmas fetes became gathering points. The outdoors was back in favour, with laughter, music, shrieking children, mischievous teenagers, and young couples.” Christmas, he says, was magical then, and it remains so today.
He reminisces that back then, Christmas was not viewed as a festival reserved for Christians alone, but as a broader social and cultural event open to all. “It was a time to be merry, to partake in festive feasts offered by hotels, restaurants, bakeries, and small eateries across the city. Christmas parties and dinners were everywhere. Gift exchanges, especially among friends, were the highlight. Our pocket money was modest, but the size or value of the gift never mattered; the thought did,” he says.
Midnight mass, city-wide decorations, and the collective cheer were part of the experience. “There was no overt religious connotation,” Mehra adds. “It had emotional resonance. Like any other festival, it was about meeting friends, enjoying food, and celebrating the beautiful diversity of this country,” says Mehra, who co-founded The Slow Fire Chef, a home-style gourmet food venture in Mumbai, with his partner, author, editor and chef Semanti Sinha Ray. “We always curate special menus during festivals, and our Christmas menu is especially popular with patrons from diverse backgrounds and faiths. It reinforces the idea that celebrations don’t recognise religious borders. We are all simply humans seeking connection, and sometimes that bond is created over food,” adds Ray.
The Magic in the Pause
Winter often symbolises cold, darkness, and endings, even in tropical climates, where its effects may be more metaphorical than literal. During this season, Christmas becomes a shared pause: a moment that offers warmth, light, and renewal. It provides emotional relief and serves as a brief but powerful reminder of hope as the year winds down.
Mumbai-based HR professional and founder of Trata Fragrances, Anita Joshi, believes Christmas arrives at a moment when people are naturally reflective. “As the year ends, there’s a collective need to pause. Celebrations offer comfort and closure. The lights, small rituals, and thoughtful gifts create a sense of togetherness that resonates across communities,” she says.
Having worked across diverse workplaces, Joshi notes that Christmas is among the most eagerly anticipated times of the year. “Secret Santa is rarely about religion. It’s about the joy of giving, the excitement of surprises, and making someone feel special before the year comes to a close,” adds Joshi.
As an entrepreneur who recently ventured into the candle business, she saw this kindness play out tangibly. “Most of my Christmas hamper orders came from non-Christians. People weren’t buying into a belief system; they were embracing the joy of gifting. It was a way of saying thank you to colleagues, friends, and loved ones after a long year,” she says.
The Good Times
Christmas resonates even in countries like India, where Christianity is not the majority faith, and that is its quiet magic. It creates a rare cultural moment when even the most rational minds surrender to the mood.
There is a secular sacredness to the festival. Christmas has become a shared emotional language, even among non-believers. Over time, it has retained its essence without the trappings of religion, offering silence, generosity, connection, and permission to slow down and feel deeply.
“Festivals should never be reduced to religious significance alone,” says Mehra, adding, “They are expressions of lived experience beyond identity. Like Christmas, all festivals belong to all humans, a species desperately in need of reasons to celebrate life together on this lonely blue planet.”
Belief, Francisco adds, isn’t the point of the celebration. “Christmas endures not because of faith, but because of longing. For connection, for warmth, for shared humanity. Sometimes, magic doesn’t need belief; it just needs openness.”
Joshi agrees. “Christmas has grown into a celebration of emotion over identity, togetherness over tradition. It reminds us that joy, when shared, needs no labels.”
