The stars, the mistletoes and the Christmas trees in Town Hall want to tell something to busy pedestrians and honking riders. But no one seems to be listening to them. It is evening and people are hurrying back home. But when dusk falls, the bulbs hidden inside these paper stars, pop on one by one. The entire street is illuminated. And that’s when the bikers, lorry drivers and temple priests notice them. Multi-colour fluorescent stars, with ornamental cuttings and embellishments, call out that Christmas is round the corner.
A man, wearing a Santa Claus mask, welcomes you to SK Decorators on Raja Street, which has been around since 1996, and is a one-stop shop for Christmas decoration shopping. Homemakers stream into the shop to see if they can find something unique this year; a more colourful star or a taller Christmas tree. School teachers comb through the cartons for angels’ costumes for their school plays. Children drag their reluctant fathers into the shop to buy them the twinkling stars that they have been yearning for the entire year. The street comes alive with festive cheer.
Rosy Aloysius has just purchased a seven-triangle star, adorned with mini Santa Clauses. Christmas is not just about one day. she says, “It is the whole excitement before it — right from making wine and plum cake to hanging the stars and arranging the crib. Shopping is the fun part of it. And all my Christmas shopping memories have been associated with SK Decorators,” she says.
The second floor of the shop is full of Christmas trees. There are fancy ones with LED leaves that light up the entire place when switched on. Santa Claus costumes for two-year-olds and 50-year-olds have been stacked in a corner. There are even the quintessential red sticks that Santa holds. Bells, mistletoes, gift boxes coloured globes, Santa dolls and cribs that tell you the story of the birth of Christ…there is lots to woo a Christmas shopper.
In the ground floor of the shop sits Abu, the shop owner. His father, S.K. Umar set up this shop. “He started off with a lottery business and a stationery shop. He used to travel the length and breadth of the country and also to China. It is from there that he carted craft items and decided to transform the shop into a craft and decoration store. We now import a lot of stuff, so that we stock something unique.”
Another store that is a favourite halt of Christmas shoppers in the city is Bombay Novelty Stores, on DB Road. Like SK, this too started off as a stationery shop. As if it to usher in the Christmas spirit, Manoharlal K. Khaturia, the shop owner, stands in the entrance sporting a Santa Claus cap. He is shouting out orders to his son as more customers stream into the shop for their evening purchase.
Manoharlal’s family is a Sindhi family from Bombay. They settled in Coimbatore in 1947. “My uncle loved the climate so much that he was ready to shut business there and shift his entire family to Coimbatore,” he laughs. “The shop used to teem with students of TNAU and Forest College, who used to halt here to buy glue, pens and papers. So many bicycles would be parked here,” he recalls. Later, the store started selling cosmetics and then turned into an art and craft store, with a lot of imported craft kits.
Bombay Novelty Stores stocks pretty threads, pouches and gift wrappers, that are ideal for Christmas decorations. Many in R.S. Puram who cannot travel to Town Hall come here for their Christmas shopping. You might not find stars and the rest of the Christmas paraphernalia. But, if you are the creative kind, you can work some magic with those colourful candles, glitter papers, bouquets, colourful threads and lanterns. Some of them look great on Christmas trees too.
Of late, more and more youngsters are celebrating Christmas, he says. “It is not just Christians who are soaking in the festive spirit. For youth across the city, it is a great time to get together and celebrate.” As night falls, more people walk into the store to check out all things Christmassy and colourful — tassels, greeting cards, gift boxes… Why, even a small multi-colour silk thread can recreate the Christmas spirit in their homes.
