24 December every year before 2008
At about 5 pm, my mother and my elder brother would leave for shopping.
Us [Me and My younger Sister]: Where are you both going?
They [My Mother and My elder brother]: We've to buy 'something' [extremely necessary].
This happened after this incident.
On one of the 24th December, they committed a sin by telling their secret plan, to buy our father a birthday present, to us, notorious and cannot be trusted, kids.
25th December, our Santa's birthday. We can be tricked by our father who if would've worn a red suit would look like Santa. A pot belly and tall, hahaha smile Santa who had unconditional love for kids. He can be taken for Santa at all times!
Here, we're doing the opposite. Gifting Santa!
We used to call them rich! Why? Because they had money and us, a poor pair of sister and brother were broke. What can we contribute in the surprise?
कददू!
We hated them. I remember my brother wagging the PARKER pen which he had bought for 50 rupees as a present for him. What we could've done? Surely, we'd have collected pennies for his present. But then how would we've got money for chochoballs, badam golis, dairy milk 5 rupay wali?
He was wagging pen and she [our mother] was showing us off a white half-sweater she has bought for him. We [me and my cute little sister] were a jealous pair now. We made a plan to tell where they've gone and what they've brought for him.
What a sight! Satisfaction!
We told him, मम्मी और गौरव ने ना गिफ्ट वाशिंग मशीन में रखा है ।
After premature opening of the presents and spoiling surprise. We danced before them and teased Gaurav.
ले ले । और ले ले गिफ्ट....
And he was boiling with anger. But it was fine because Santa was laughing and we were proud to earn his laughter.
Fast forward next year.
Now, they started making excuses for buying a gift, that important thing to buy. Remember?
So, what we could do?
The creative pair of sister and brother would make cards. Beautiful cards. They would make Christmas tree and would write 'Happy Birthday' instead and would use the best of adjectives they knew at that time, 'A very very very very happy birthday to the best papa'.
And we would do especially on his birthday.
- Pretend like we don't know that tomorrow is 25th!
- Buy gifts or make cards and hide them in Washing Machine, safe place.
- Pretend that we're sleeping.
- Suddenly, wake up at 12 AM and sing 'Happy Birthday'
I remember all of it so vividly, that smile, he'd kiss us [everyone except our mother :P ]. And would exclaim at those so-called beautiful cards. Act surprised however he knew what we're up to.
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| Father and son | Courtesy: Unsplash |
2008 and beyond
25th December would hurt us. We thought, isn't it painful and a dreaded pain to remember your father on two days, 24th and 25th. Because we're robbed off two happiest days, and not just one!
1st June 2008, took away those two precious days which were to come year after year.
Now, our ritual is not to buy a gift. Not even making cards.
[We did make in 2008 but discontinued because it would be like rekindling that pain. We all of us hide it like a treasure as if we’re so strong!]
Now we all without discussing, without saying like we did in 2008, ‘मम्मी आज पापा का बड्डे है ना’ would come near his photo frame and would touch it to seek blessings. And leave as if in shame, have we done something wrong? No. Then what are we afraid of? Why do we hide that pain?
Oh! It’s that pain, which makes us hide faces and leave as soon as we’ve touched his frame. We’d surprise ourselves by coming at the stroke of midnight hour on 24th like this year, like every year. We won’t say anything but:
1. Come, face down.
2. Touch his photo frame, fold our hands.
3. And leave like, ‘what have we done?’.
Yes, that’s all. That’s all we do now.
The Us now don’t reveal any surprise before him. The They now don’t leave at about 5 in the evening for an important thing to buy.
We [all of us] just don’t have anything to do.
Maybe this explains us, listening to, ‘tu mera dil, tu meri jaan, but I love you daddy…tu masoom, tu shaitan, but you love me daddy..’ like over and over again on 24th. Just maybe! Because we don’t even know why we unanimously take a decision to pay his frame a visit without even announcing it as an occasion to do the same.
We just do it.
So, this is how one day can destroy two day’s celebration. This has made all the difference.
We don’t even reply to, ‘What’s your plan? It’s Christmas Eve!’
We don’t even say as we used to do, ‘(excitedly) पापा का बड्डे है,... बाहर से मंगवाएंगे कुछ’
We just don’t say anything at all.
Anyone greeting us receives.
A smirk.
A smile.
A ‘thank you, same to you’
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I forgot to add here that every 25th of December my brother visits, Emmanuel Seva trust, where he distributes clothes and sweets to children. Every year, he goes there maybe with a thought there are many children who don't even know whether they've their parents or not. Did they just leave them or they're dead?
At least we're sure about it. They're not.
Every time, my brother comes back home, he says, 'they're a bunch of talented kids'.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Now, we've pastry and we celebrate Christmas and Santa's birthday year after year the same way.
Merry Christmas.
Happy Birthday!
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