Merry Christmas my Daughter : heres our story so far

Its getting cold here, this side of Pune. We wake up in the morning and stay in the blankets a good 15 minutes, just talking and hugging Keya as she sleeps, her little arched lips slightly open, and i can smell her breath..divine. i tuck in the blanket a littler closer, make sure her feet are covered, and check if she hasnt wet her clothes. I get up slowly , trying not to wake her up, pull out her socks and pullover, keep it under my blanket so they are warm when she puts them on.

For a sleeping 2 year old, making the world warm and comfortable is not a very difficult job , any parent would do it. And all fussy Bengali over protective moms like me will do it even more religiously.G insists that i take out her woolen cap also, since she has just gotten out of a bad fever bout, but i ignore, saying , she will need it on her way to school, the house is warm enough.

As i put on the lights on the Christmas tree, i wait to see her walk into the dinning space and her face light up on seeing the sparkling Christmas tree. This tree has been doing wonders in our home for the past 2 days that we have put it up.Every meal is being eaten while remaining seated on the dinning table, every little ornament has  a story behind it, that Ma tells Keya during breakfast and dinner. Lunch and the Evening snack, i am told, is more of a battle with Dadu Dida chasing her around the house, with Teddy celebrating his Birthday, or the Cockroaches who stole Ma's watch, or the Black Cat that drank the milk from the fridge.

I thought of sharing some of the stories i tell Keya about Christmas and what it means

The pine cones have a very strong little story of their own,They grew on a tall tree which had beautiful leaves, the leaves were a dark green in color, slender and long and when the dew drops dangled on the tips of the leaves, they looked like crystals. However, the pine cones also grew on the same tree, it was black, hard and had shells all over it, it thought it dont look as pretty as the leaves which people would collect and take home to decorate their houses. But a few days later, the leaves would dry up and people would throw them out, but the pine cones, they stayed, strong and looked beautiful against the brightly lit Christmas tree. Looks dont matter, God has a bigger plan for all of us, He has made all of us with flaws and qualities. We must learn to love ourselves the way He has made us, perfect.

Rudolf was that red nosed reindeer whom no one played with, everyone made fun of him because his nose would glow. The other reindeer's would show off their brown noses, all of them had the same shiny brow noses and they all looked beautiful. But Rudolf never understood how different and special he was. Then one foggy Christmas eve Santa came to Rudolf and asked him if he could join him for his journey on his sledge, from the North pole to peoples chimneys. Rudolf was ecstatic and over the clouds because Santa invited him to be a special friend. Thats how Keya will always be for us, we her parents will know that she will be the most beautiful child to us ever, the most unique creation of our believe in God and our love. She is unique and her parents will always love her no matter what

Christmas is that time of the year when it snows outside, its cold outside, there is a mad rush on the streets because everyone wants to be home. But she must be able to face the winds, she must know that the world outside will be cold, her family will always be there waiting to hug her , keep her warm, but her battles she must fight on her own.She should be a strong woman, one who uses her wisdom to decide where she must go and where she does not belong. She must learn that every one of us is fighting our battles , she must too, with grace and a hope to always win

No festival is complete till you dont wish your loved ones, till you don't pray for the well being and happiness f everyone you know. A celebration is complete when you sing, you dance, you celebrate with love, you thank God for the family and friends He has gifted you with. And this family and friends will be with you only if you cherish them , only if you be good to them , treat them with respect, show them that they make your world. Being a good human being who is thankful, is the key to happiness.

Ma Baba will always be there for you, we have prayed a million times while we were waitng for you because you were our little big miracle. We have worked very hard to make sure you have a bright future, we have cut down on fancy dinners so we can save an extra penny, we have invented hot chocolate nights so we dont sit on those plastic chairs in crowded cafes paying ridiculous amounts for a cup of coffee, but rather, huddle in the couch and laugh over Tom & Jerry. Ma stays up on weekends in the afternoons to make those crispy chicken fries which you love so much, because we dont want you getting addicted to the junk food outside. Someday i know you will be going on dates to such places, it is inevitable, but till then baby girl we want to keep you away from all this.We have big plans for you , your Baba dreams of nothing short of atstro sciences, though i will be happy if you take up bartending and DJing also (thats my attempt to be cool, but secretly i agree with Baba). Whatever you need, we are ready to give you that ticket to the moon. Promise us, you will do us proud and in return i will not embarrass you in public. We have secured your future in piggy banks that will you wont understand now, for now, just know that Baba Ma work hard to give you the best, learn to cherish this and write your own success story.

This blog is a part of Blogadda new contest  1001 Gifts Activity by HDFC Life