There’s a certain festive feel in the air with Christmas right around the corner. From a giant Christmas tree greeting passengers at the Shamshabad airport, to small wreaths, stars, bells and trees made of fabric, series lights and moulded plastic chairs across stores, eateries and hotels in the city, it certainly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Add to that the last minute holiday shoppers thronging stores and you have all the makings of a beautiful holiday season.
Using old and cherished trinkets to decorate for Christmas might be a tradition, but for families and establishments looking to do something new each year there is plenty in store in the city markets. From colour-coordinated tree trimmings and wall hangings to off beat trees, stores in Hyderabad have it all to help you deck the halls.
Umakanth Chandekar, owner of Shraddha Book Stores, a well-frequented store by Christian families in Secunderabad says, “This time there has been a lot of demand for theme-based decoration items. Some households and commercial establishments have been looking to use a uniform colour scheme in all their decorations. So we have boxes of colour coordinated tree trimmings and wall hangings to match them. Some of the popular colour choices are silver, gold, green and blue. Most sets include an entire range of trimmings like baubles, candy canes, angels and stars in a single colour.”
For those who are hard pressed for time there are trees in the market with all the trimmings already fixed on their branches as well as ready-made crib sets. Others come with series lights fixed at the end of their branches to save families the trouble of having to wind them around later. Some of the popular choices this time however have been what are being called Quality Trees. These are different from the regular TXN ones and are modelled to look like actual pine trees, some with pine acorns adorning their branches. Others have a snow effect on them to go with a white Christmas theme. However, the trees that have been selling like hot cakes according to store owners are the ones that are either completely white or a delicate shade of baby pink. “We sold these ones very quickly and there are still demands pouring in for the snow white and pink trees,” says Chandekar. Those looking for a smaller tree to display at home can also pick from the range of acrylic trees and conical ones that have lights inside.
Apart from the regular stars made of fabric or paper to be hung outside the home, this time there are stars made of wire mesh in silver and gold with a string of series lights inside for a twinkling effect. Maria P., a homemaker, says, “My kids love doing up the tree and wanted to pick the trimmings themselves this year. We ended up picking a lot of snowmen figurines and bright green baubles and angels for them. To make trimming the tree a little more creative I also got them to make little angels and stars using thermocol and coloured paper to add their personal touch.”
The snow-finished line of products seem to be very popular, with Christmas baskets bearing angels and snowmen in a snow-finished coating finding a lot of takers apart from snow dusted creepers for wall decorations. Also available are porcelain plates with Christmas scenes painted on them. To make the festive mood complete there are also appropriately printed festive table cloths and placemats for that perfect Christmas Day lunch.
