Bring it on!
Elves and reindeer, grinches and Krampuses… the wait is over – because Christmas is here along with the festive season! And this year, Sri Lankans will no doubt rejoice because we have a long weekend thanks to Poya falling on Boxing Day.
So it’s no surprise that our spirits are aglow, and the island is looking festive, bright and full of lights – a sarcastic nod to the power cuts of yesteryear and tariff hikes, which will hopefully not happen again due to wasting electricity.
Not yet done with your seasonal shopping?
You might want to put on your creative antlers to look for homemade gifts that may not break the bank and enable you to add a sleigh full of thoughtfulness to your presents.
Christmas foodies, don’t forget the joy of Christmas goodies – especially when these are made at home! Be a true Willy Wonka this Christmas and add your own twist to the seasonal favourites.
Rich and moist Christmas cake, cashew-filled love cake, seasonal jams and cheeses, holiday cookies and truffles, mugs and jugs of eggnog, and everyone’s favourite thambili wine – they’re excellent gifts… whether you’re giving or receiving them.
And if your Christmas meter is through the polar roof, get your friends and family into seasonal T-shirts and pyjamas – there’s nothing quite as funny in the holiday wardrobe department!
You might want a lot of things for Christmas but keep tabs on Mariah Carey as the ‘Xmas Queen’ is on the road with her ‘Merry Christmas One and All’ tour, which concludes on 17 December at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
But wait, there’s ‘myrrh’ – pun intended!
DC fans, keep your mittens on – because Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom releases on 20 December. Watch the sexiness that is Jason Momoa forge an unlikely alliance with the former King of Atlantis to defeat Black Manta.
If the hunk from Baywatch and Game of Thrones isn’t Christmassy enough for you, catch comedy legend Eddie Murphy in Candy Cane Lane, which is a ‘jingle-all-the-way’ movie that’s filled with holiday laughter.
Here in Sri Lanka, we enjoy Christmas from head to mistletoe. And as soon as Christmas is over, it will be time for those 31st night parties, which many of us will be hopping in and out of.
So what if the first day of the year is a Monday?
Well, we’re a nation that can handle anything. We’ll simply look 2024 straight in the eye – ours being mildly red perhaps – with a mouth full of milk rice and say: ‘Bring it on!’