My favorite Christmas memory would be when I was younger and in my teens the whole family would come together every year at a relative’s house for a grand family lunch. Everybody would bring a few dishes and desserts they prepared. The whole family would sit and talk and eat together and sometimes sing. But as the year went by and all the cousins grew older and everyone got jobs and moved away, the family Christmas party would get harder to plan since everyone was not in Goa. Hence I miss those years the most. If I had to give any advice to the younger generation it would be don't miss out on the time with your family when you are young because as you get older commitments tend to keep you away and you always regret not being there for that one Christmas when everybody was.
Frank Sequeira, Panaji
Christmas is a nostalgic time of year when the flickering of Christmas lights, and the good cheer and warmth of spirit in the atmosphere help us rekindle our own Christmas memories. I remember when we used to come back home after midnight mass as kids and woke up next morning, mom would tell us we’ve been good children so have a look under the Christmas tree what Santa had got us. Before Christmas, there used to be Silver Bells, White Christmas, and Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer playing on the sound system, while we would watch mom and granny make Christmas sweets which we then went distributing to our neighbours’ houses. Growing up it has become more about decorating the house, making cribs, Christmas balls and family dinners.
Conrad Baretto, Bangalore
My favourite Christmas memories are the ones spent with my family in Goa. It’s the ones where my dad's ship schedule allowed him to make it back in time for Christmas and we were all together - my parents, grandmother and my five siblings. We always had exams till December 22 and my mum and grand mum waited for them to end so we could all sit together making Christmas sweets. My dad would work on the star, replacing the old paper with new white paper and add a picture in the middle. He would put up the decorations on walls and higher places where we couldn’t reach. My mum would make her amazing Christmas cake soaked in rum and my grandmum would fry the neurios and kulkuls while my siblings and I set up the tree. We would go together for midnight mass and when we got home our presents were magically under the tree! The next day we would all go to my aunt and uncle's house and have Christmas lunch there. We are a big family, and the best part of Christmas is spending it together.
Siobhan Mendes, Lisbon
Nothing and not even Santa Claus, could mean more to us than having dad home for Christmas. Being away the entire year, that one annual visit and the impatient wait to watch him "star" the Christmas tree was the true worth of our celebration as a family. Church at midnight, laying baby Jesus in the crib, hot coffee, unwrapping gifts and traditional family lunches - none of those seemed complete without dad. He's been making our Christmases over the years, so yes - bearing gifts or not, he's pretty much our own version of Santa.
Casha Rozario Nogar, Caranzalem
Christmas is always special for me because it's the time I come back home, and Christmas in Goa has a charm of its own. There’s nothing like bringing in the spirit with the midnight mass and then ending in high spirits with the amazing Christmas ball. Christmas in Goa is joy in a nutshell.
Seton Preston Almeida, London
