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A Christmas Album: Indian and South Asian Americans Display the Spirit of Holiday Season

A Christmas Album: Indian and South Asian Americans Display the Spirit of Holiday Season

  • Desis of different faiths celebrated Christmas across the United States and around the world. Many of them, finally liberated from the pandemic restrictions, spent this season in India with family and friends. Here are a few vignettes some of them have shared with American Kahani.

Indian Americans of different faiths are celebrating Christmas across the United States and around the world. Many of them, finally liberated from the pandemic restrictions, are celebrating this Christmas in India with family and friends. Here are a few vignettes some of them have shared with American Kahani.

Ayesha Ray, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at King’s College, Pennsylvania.

Ayesha with her best friends. Top photo, New Jersey Assemblyman Raj Mukherji with his wife and son amid resplendent Christmas decor.
Ayesha’s Christmas decor.

Sadaf Jaffer, New Jersey Assemblywoman

The legislator and her family celebrating Christmas in Disneyland.

From the Heartland

Kuhu Singh, takes a break from Minnesota suburbs, with her family and friends in Scottsdale, Arizona. From left Adway Ganesan, Puru, Rajeev Singh, Gopa Ganesan, Arin Gopakumar and Meena Gopakumar.

Judge Juli Mathew, Fort Bend County, TX

“As a Keralite Christian, the birth of Christ is celebrated with all the glory and honor it deserves among the Christians hailing from Kerala. Special foods such as appam and curry either with chicken or mutton is made and Christmas cake is shared. I grew up in the Marthoma Church and my most favorite part was attending the Christmas Eve service, when the lights are dimmed and candles are lit, when the hymn Silent Night is sung by the whole congregation, when all is truly calm and bright. Christmas 2022 is even more special because I am able to spend it with my husband‘s family in India. I haven’t spent a Christmas in India since 1986. As a child growing up in Kerala, India, I remember making a Christmas tree out of a cut bamboo. Pine trees are not abundant in these parts so bamboo sufficed.  Artificial pine trees are abundant in the stores here now but I still wanted a tree outside like my childhood memories of India. Instead of a bamboo tree, we had a pine tree which we decorated and part of me is re-living that childhood Christmas from long ago.”

Namrita Yuhanna faraway from California

“Home for the holidays. Celebrating Christmas with mom took me back to my child good days. There is a very small population of Christians in Shimla. But Christmas is celebrated with a lot of zest and faith. Carol singers visit homes, the Christ Church on the ridge in Shimla is decked up with Christmas lights. It is a huge attraction for tourists and locals alike. It was wonderful to put ornaments on our small tree with mom and be beside her. We were invited as special guests for a Christmas program in a local school.”

Aroras of Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Harsh Arora and family celebrating up north in Montreal.

Joyful Crew: The Patricio Matchanickal family celebrate Christmas in Chantilly, Virginia

From San Francisco with love: Papiha Nandy, CEO Entrepreneur, activist, feminist, investor and philanthropist

Out of the cold front

Shivanthi Sathanandan’s Christmas in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Bharucha girls from Atlanta

See Also

A Jersey Christmas

Entrepreneur Jiby Thomas Moloparambil of Readington, New Jersey celebrates Christmas with his Marly Jiby, and kids. 

Nativity in the Sunshine State

Digital creator and entrepreneur Navini Naidu-Coakley poses by the Christmas tree at their home in Vero Beach, Florida, with her husband, Sean Coakley, and kids. 

Celebrations across generations at Soumya Rege‘s home in Bellaire, Texas

Faraway from Sweet Home Alabama

Poet and author Monita Soni spending Christmas in San Fransisco.
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The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of American Kahani.
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