The heady scent of pine trees infuses the air with Christmas aura

December 19, 2016

The festive season is one of the best times to be in New York City. Despite the chill in the air, there is a skip to the step and a smile on the face. And if it’s a White Christmas, it becomes even more special. Xmas is a special time because the entire city seems to be charged with a different sort of energy.

The atmosphere resounds with sounds of Salvation army volunteers singing carols, busy shoppers looking for Xmas gifts and jostling tourists trying to take pictures of the shop windows. The street corners turn into Christmas tree shops and the heady scent of pine trees infuses the air with the smells of Christmas. My office building already seems in festive mode with gaily decorated offices, people selling Xmas gifts, happy hours and Christmas parties. Working near Bryant Park is a bonus because it changes with the seasons. During Xmas, it is converted into a shopper’s paradise with stalls offering everything from unique Xmas gifts to designer chocolates. Just below the huge twinkling lights of a ginormous Christmas tree, the centre of the park has been converted into an ice-skating rink.

Normally people in New York just rush along but during Christmas, everyone actually stops and looks at shop windows, at ceilings, windows, staircases, hotel lobbies, train stations. It is fun listening to Christmas carols and inhaling the smell of specially brewed festive flavors at coffee shops. Christmas is also the time for special shows. Like the Rockettes Xmas spectacular at Radio City Musical or being swept away by the one and only diva, Mariah Carey, who embodies the Christmas persona and performs five special shows for her fans because ‘all she wants for Christmas is you’.

As much as I was amazed at this talented singer, I was equally amused to observe her legion of fans bopping away and singing along at the top of their voices. Carey had a wardrobe malfunction when the strap of her dress popped and even while urging wardrobe to come out on stage and fix her up, she did not miss a beat and continued singing impromptu about the state of her dress and asking her fans to bear with her. The concert hall erupted in screams of ‘we love you Mariah’ and the show just went on. She really is the stuff divas are made of.

Music is the flavor of the festive season. I attended a piano recital organized by The Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York. It was a testament to the international backbone of this amazing city. The pianist, Yoonie Han, was from South Korea, the Executive Director, Reggie Bahl, is originally a Delhi boy and among the attendees I met, were people from France, South Africa, India and all over the United States. I enjoyed the recital despite my lack of exposure to Western classical music since my interest and training is in Hindustani classical music. In fact, when I first moved to Pune, December meant Sawai Gandharva. We would go armed with our flask of hot tea and warm shawls and settle on the sofas for the night.

I still remember Ustad Rashid Khan’s debut when I dismissed him as inconsequential judging from his puny appearance but the minute he sang his first note in Raag Darbari, I jerked awake and was blown away. So, attending a Hindustani classical performance in my Brooklyn backyard this past week, was pure nostalgia for me. It was an Indian classical music with a fusion twist. The unusual element being most of the performers were not Indian. It was surreal to sit in a Brooklyn café, in a room full of non-Indians, sipping mulled wine and listening to a group of white Americans singing Raga Yaman and Raag Jog. Considering how removed this type of music is from their comfort zone, I was impressed at the performance. As musicians, they were technically competent but when you grow up in India, in a certain environment, when you understand the words of what you are singing, the performance has a different intensity. And the audience too did not know to break out into wahs wahs. However, the lead singer, Andrew Shantz, has a depth and intensity in his voice that will certainly hold him in good stead going ahead. I was thrilled to be able to listen to ‘sakhi eree aali piya bin,” far away from India and my growing up days in Bombay of singing with Guruji and my brother.

Rounding up my eventful week, was a Friendsgiving party where I met yet more unusual and interesting people. A Friendsgiving is a popular way of celebrating Thanksgiving with friends. My 40 plus friend has a millennial girlfriend so it made quite an eclectic collection of people. What impressed me is how different these young American millennials are from the desi ones I see in the US and in India. The conversations are different. They were discussing feminism, politics, creative arts and law and as the evening progressed, they started a few board games going. There was an underlying core of serious business as opposed to frivolous drinking games and insane partying. One of the guests was also a Delhi boy (seems like they were following me around last week) who had brought his mother, a divorcee like me. In the midst of all the Americans, it felt nice to sit in a corner and chat with someone from India with whom I shared so much common ground.

And now for a round of holiday parties and while I do not plan to participate in Santa Cons and go bar hopping dressed as Santa, I am looking forward to celebrating this special time of the year. Especially now that New York has finally had its first snowfall.  Maybe it will be a White Christmas.