Bhubaneswar, Dec. 20: The spirit of Christmas has gripped the city and youngsters are coming up with ideas to celebrate the festival with the less privileged.

Members of youth group Sandhan are taking out underprivileged kids to watch the Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer Dilwale.

"We have invited kids from our Nayapalli area to watch the film at the Inox multiplex at Bhawani Mall in Saheed Nagar. After that, we will take them to the Satya Nagar church. They are very excited, and so are we," said Poonam Behera, a member of the group.

A group of students from Utkal University will dress themselves as Santa Claus and visit a few special schools in the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

"We have collected gifts and money from our friends and families and will buy loads of chocolates and presents. We will visit schools for the differently-abled and distribute these among them. We will also conduct interactive games," said Subrat Behera, a student of the varsity.

Lipirekha Debampriya, a student of Rama Devi Women's University, has invited the children of her maid for a hearty lunch at her home.

"I am a Christian. This festival is very special for us, and we are supposed to make others feel special on this day. So I thought there could be no better way than inviting the children of our maid. I have also bought new dresses for them," said Lipirekha.

Festive spirit

Stores and malls remained crowded on the last weekend before Christmas, as residents queued up for last-minute purchases.

From shining stars to bells, the city markets are flooded with accessories to beautify Christmas trees. Santa masks are also available apart from a variety of Christmas trees.

"This year, a number of eye-catching snowballs have grabbed the attention of the shoppers. Available in a variety of colours and sizes, these balls will definitely pep up Christmas decorations," said Arjun Nanda, a vendor at Saheed Nagar. The balls are priced between Rs 200 and Rs 1,800.

Preparations are on in full swing to celebrate Christmas in around 20 churches in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. The churches will hold Midnight Mass on the occasion of Christmas.

On December 9, members of the Bhubaneswar Christian Community had organised a cultural programme at Rabindra Mandap here to usher in the Christmas festivities. The community is an association of over 74 churches and para-church organisations.

Hotels had started their plum cake-mixing ceremonies a fortnight ago.