A day left for the Christmas, the city’s shops and malls are all beautifully decked up. The festival has brought a good sale for many shopkeepers around the markets, particularly for the confectioners.
Children are gearing up to celebrate the festival in their own ways. Ananya around 8 who was found buying Santa masks said this is the festival she looks forward to as gifts flow whenever she goes on this day.
Reena, a sales person at Art Home, said the sales of the items are better during the Christmas than during the Diwali. “Greeting cards are among the most sought -after items. The kids are opting for lighting caps whose prices start from Rs 100. Prices of the bells and other decors given as gifts are set according to their sizes. Christmas trees are being sold from Rs170 to Rs1,100 from our store,” she added.
Confectioners are getting a lot of orders for the cake, the quintessence of the festival. Subhash, a bakery owner, said he had received more orders this year as compared to the previous year. “We are happy with the sale. Plum cakes are in great demand,” he added.
Shailendra Chaturvedi, owner of Doon Memories Bakery, said that they are receiving good amount of orders for the cakes. “ We are receiving orders from many Christian families to have the cakes baked. They are providing us with the ingredients. However, the volume of sale is almost the same as compared to the previous years. Neither has it has gone down nor up,” he added. Pratibha Mathew, a resident of Raipur, said they have been waiting for the Christmas for days. “We feel exulted that it is so near now. The festival of good cheers mean going to the church and exchanging gifts with the family members and friends. We also gift cakes to the near and dear ones,” she said.
Gaurav Chawla, owner of Archies store, said that the Christmas items were being stocked from November in his store. “We have a lot of fascinating items for the kids. Christmas wreathes ranging from Rs 300 to Rs 1500 and battery- operated Santa Claus are being sold in satisfactory volume this year,” he said.