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| A Santa showpiece at a store in Jamshedpur |
Jamshedpur, Dec. 22: The countdown to Christmas has already begun, with most schools celebrating early.
Before closing for winter vacation, several schools distributed gifts and organised special programmes for students. Motilal Nehru Public School (MNPS), which closed on December 17, decorated the campus with Christmas trees, balloons, stars and mistletoes on the last day. A number of events were also organised. A teacher dressed as Santa Claus distributed sweets among students.
Most of the missionary schools celebrated Christmas on December 18.
Loyola School organised programmes like a Christmas play, songs and carols while students of Sacred Heart Convent spent the day with Santa. “Children were waiting for the last working day because we had lined up some interesting programmes. Singing Christmas carols and participating in plays, prayers and dances summed up the day,” said G. Lalitha, a teacher of Sacred Heart Convent.
Clubs in the city also have some Christmas programmes up their sleeves. The Beldih Club organised a Christmas party for children on December 18 while a Xmas lunch is waiting for them on December 25. The Tube Maker’s Club, Nildih, has also arranged a party for its members on December 24.
But in the city, all the action will begin and end with the churches. The Lupita Hall in Telco has already started their preparations. Last year, most of the churches celebrated Christmas on a small scale because of the terror attacks in Mumbai and blasts in New Delhi, but this year they are ready to go the whole hog.
“We have started preparing for Christmas from December 17 and do not want to give a miss to anything. Generally, we visit the nearby areas on the special day and spread the message of peace in those areas and it will be the same this year also,” said Benedict Minz of Lupita Hall.
The Bible Society of India organised an inter-church singing competition on December 19 while Jamshedpur Churches Unity Forum had organised a tribal folk dance competition where representatives from about 10 churches showcased their skills.
