Said one lady, ``The children are so keen on having a tree at home, so I thought why not indulge their fancies a little.'' Said another harried mother, ``The trees are expensive, so we are taking the least expensive ones.'' Don't know if we love our neighbours as oneself, but we sure love their festivals.

And yet another kiddies Christmas party that took place was at The Pride Hotel on December 23. Advertised as the ``best kiddies party in town,'' the venue at the hotel's poolside was swarming with kids, many of them being members of the Young Express Club who had got free entry coupons.

Other than loads of games, a teapot-shaped cottage balloon and face painting on at one end, there was the master of ceremonies attired in an inspired Batman costume. Added to all this was a costumed Ninja turtle, a magic show, a Charlie Chaplin dance and not one but two Santas giving the kids that all-important shake of the hand. The highlight, though, was the very talented `Michael Jackson', who could sure give the real pop star a complex with his complicated body movements and the lavish spread of food. Though the party went on a tad too long, with the kids tiring towards the end, the show, alongwith the grand decor, was indicative of the effort put in to make the do the grand success that it was.

Even better than the real thing
From rustling up delicious cuisine to the delicate arrangement of flowers, cookery expert Shailaja Abhyankar has done it all. The lady is all set to hold an exhibition-cum-sale of these specially-presented flower baskets with a difference. These colourful, bright flowers are not for real although they could easily pass for them.

Says Abhyankar, ``I have already done a course in flower arrangement but this time I decided to specialise in artificial plants and flowers. I realised that at most meetings and conferences, the flower decor obstructed view and that there was a need for flatter flower arrangements.'' Abhyankar feels that the long-lasting imported flowers that she uses are the answer. The sale has been organised by Snehavardini Mahila Mandal and will be held at the Chhabria School, off Senapati Bapat Road, on December 25 between 4 p.m. and 7.30 p.m.