It may not be the classic Christmas winter as is being experienced in the northern parts of the country. Nevertheless, the nip in the air and evening chilly winds have warmed up the Christmas market in the city. The city streets wear a festive look and the gift stores have a reason to cheer with sales of Christmas tree, decorative items and cakes soaring in the past two days. “Earlier, it used to be the last hour rush with customers pouring in the day before Christmas. That trend has changed now. The sales are properly distributed over four-five days before the festivities begin,” said Anil Nevatia of Pages Book Store. At Poorna Market, wholesale store owners are busy catering to the rush. “Our sale this season has gone up by about 20 per cent as compared to last year. The demand has been growing,” said Rajesh, a wholesale dealer.
However, sale of greetings cards has plummeted to an all-time low. Many gift stores have last year’s stock still in place.
“It’s easy to make personalised Christmas greetings in Whatsapp groups or Facebook and simply tag friends with it. We can reach out to our friends across the globe with a single press of a button. In fact, we have decided to deck up the Christmas tree at home and shoot a video with songs to be sent to our friends in the US,” said S. Pritika, a high school student.
Meanwhile, city hotels are making the most of the season with occupancy levels touching a peak.
“We have seen 90 per cent occupancy rates in the hotel this season with bookings from holiday makers from Kolkata and Odisha. The average room rates have gone up by 20 per cent to Rs 6,000,” said Ajit Singh Garcha, General Manager, The Park.
Santa dressesThe favourite Christmas fixture, Santa Claus, is the most sought after in stores. Santa dresses in varying sizes and costing anywhere between Rs 200 and Rs 700 are being bought by churches and even enthusiastic parents, say shopkeepers.