How houses in Thiruvananthapuram get a makeover for Christmas

Maya Gomez likes adorning her Christmas tree with Indian handmade ornaments.
| Picture Credit score: Maya Gomez

It looks like Christmas once more. With silver bells, Christmas bushes, stars and glitter on each avenue nook, it’s the time of the 12 months when houses get a makoever in Christmas colors of purple, inexperienced, white, gold and silver. Massive or small, each residence will get into the festive fervour with ornaments in each room and Christmas bushes and nativity units getting satisfaction of place.

Hand-crafted decor

Architect and artist Maya Gomez says she likes to usher within the Christmas spirit by the primary week of December itself. “The color scheme of purple brightens the home. Furthermore, I guarantee I’ve heat lights in my home and many fairy lights to provide it a welcoming glow. Then comes arranging my assortment of ornaments, adorning the Christmas tree and the home within the season’s colors.”

Given India’s wealthy custom of crafts and handlooms, Maya is a eager collector of artefacts and ornaments and her assortment has grown over time to incorporate handicrafts from many areas in India.

“I’ve ornaments with zardozi embroidery, papier mache bells and stars with enamel work and so forth. I also have a flat, picket Santa carrying a inexperienced parrot that I acquired from one of many shops in Kovalam. My tree’s skirt is an embroidered skirt from Gujarat,” she says.

She recollects how the earlier technology took pains to gather ornaments for the crib and get the tree from overseas as a result of there wasn’t a lot to select from in India.

“Now, we’ve got loads of choices and I like to brighten my residence with what’s at hand. I’ve an enormous assortment of fairly bottles and biscuit tins which are themed on Christmas. So, I fill the bottles with lights. This time, I’ve made a mannequin of the city of Bethlehem with embellished bottles and biscuit tins with photos of Christmas.” The city symbolises Maya’s concern for the individuals of Gaza and Bethlehem the place there may be unrest.

For Maya, the crib set is necessary to remind us about what the event is all about. Hers is an previous one which she acquired from St. Joseph’s Press in Thiruvananthapuram.

The Christmas look is maintained until Epiphany that falls on January 6.

Treasure trove

It’s a year-long effort for homemakers Sunu Mathew and her daughter-in-law Sachu Baiju. Sunu’s assortment of bric-a-brac, residence linen and baubles, rigorously curated from many locations over time, are aesthetically organized in each nook and nook of their residence. Chair covers, cushions, desk linen in purple, inexperienced and white make the eating room a spot for the household to assemble for the grand spreads in the course of the pageant.

They begin doing up the home by November-end and confer with photos and concepts on social media.

“Our Christmas tree is 24 years-old. It was given to my mother-in-law by a household buddy when she got here from Dubai. We thought we might wait until it’s 25 earlier than entering into for a brand new one. Wherever my mother-in-law travels to, she makes it a degree to purchase one thing for the pageant,” says Sachu.

They purchase one thing new yearly to brighten the tree. The house linen has been customised for his or her home.

She says her two boys have been instructed to be extraordinarily cautious when the home is completed up for Christmas.

Sachu says with amusing that whereas she loves placing up the ornaments, it’s Sunu who packs all the pieces in bubble wrap, every merchandise labelled and thoroughly saved for an additional season. Even the tree is rigorously washed and wrapped to be stored apart for subsequent Christmas.

Subsequent 12 months, they plan to brighten the backyard too. “I’ve requested an aunt who’s coming from the US to get fairy lights and different ornaments for the backyard,” she provides.