Get-cosy ideas for the holiday season from Shubhra Krishan Christmas is coming, and the new year is almost with us, and so what if you aren’t in snowman’s land? It is still a time when the romance in the air is so thick you can almost grab a heady handful. How about filling not only your senses but your very soul with the scent of love?
1 Cuddle up on a snow-soft couch or a warm rug, and watch a film set against the backdrop of festivities. We recommend: Bada Din, Hum Apke Hain Kaun (okay, so it is not exactly a ‘festival film’, but it is a festive movie alright), Life Is Beautiful, Jingle All The Way and Miracle On 34th Street. If you have your own favourite, play it again.
2 Forget the SMS. End your dependence on e-mail. This December, rediscover the lost art of writing a good old-fashioned love letter. Pour out your feelings on handmade paper with a thick calligraphic pen, tie a red ribbon in the corner, spray your favourite perfume on it, and tuck it in a place where he’ll find it first thing in the morning.
And mind you, love letters aren’t just for young sweethearts — even if (or rather, especially if!) you’ve been married 30 years, those syrupy words will melt him faster than butter.
3 What? A winter month without a candlelit dinner? No way! You don’t have to go to a fancy restaurant — just poke a candle inside a bright red cored apple, gaze deep into each other’s eyes, and you have a feast of love.
4 It’s the season for gift-giving. Think up the most romantic gift you can give your beloved — a collection of poems, a song you’ve composed, or a bouquet of red roses. Don’t worry too much about cost and choice: Think from the heart. The beauty of romance is in the spontaneity of its gestures.
Talking of gifts, the art of presenting a gift is special, too. Play treasure-hunt. Scatter gifts all over your home, and give him clues that lead up to the treasure. Feeling naughty? Let one of the clues be “kiss and tell” — he gives you a kiss, and you tell him where the next clue is!
5 Make and decorate a Christmas tree together. The keyword here is not ‘Christmas’ or ‘tree’ (use an old banyan if you like) — it is ‘together’.
6 There is a calm joy in the festivities of December. It’s easy to feel that joy if you allow yourself to sit, simply sit, in companionable silence for a while. Under the stars, by the seashore, in a chapel — find a quiet spot, and, holding hands, take in the beautiful silence. Sharing your silences can sometimes be the most romantic thing on earth.
7 Pick out a favourite photograph of you and him together, then have it laminated into a bookmark.
8 While Christmas and New Year’s Eve are no doubt a time for letting your hair down and celebrating life, they can also get stressful — what with family get-togethers, shopping and all that partying. Steal a few moments to pamper yourself: Take a warm bath, treat yourself to a head massage, relax with a book. When you feel refreshed and happy, you’ll naturally want to do more for the man in your life.
9 A brand new year is waiting right around the corner. Before you step into the first day of that year, remember and renew the vows you made to each other.
10 And at the start of the year, plant a tree together. Then nurture it and watch it grow, just like your love.