Mumbai: Top spots besides Bandra for Christmas shopping

Christmas is two weeks away and the markets in Mumbai never fail to set the Xmas vibe right During this time of the year the streets of the city look bright and straight out of a magical film Additionally the cool breeze of the winter season adds to the Christmas aesthetics The decor items for Christmas arrive after the exit of Diwali and are put on sale sometime in midNovember Catholics of Mumbai set their Christmas preparations in action about 1015 days before the main day to celebrate the birth of Jesus ChristNonChristian Mumbaikars who love to celebrate the festival are also seen hitting these markets to get their hands on some bright colourful and cute decor items While some shop for items to decorate their homes some look for miniatures to adorn their office desks Kevin Baptista 28 a recruitment consultant residing in Vile Parle begins decorating his house 10 days before Christmas along with his family members ldquoPreparing for Christmas is as fun as celebrating it I enjoy decorating my home with my family It brings about a different sense of belonging and togetherness We begin decorating the walls first with hanging decor like streamers bells and posters and keep the Christmas tree for lastrdquoKevin has already finished his shopping This year he purchased lights for Christmas trees some baubles and streamers ldquoI usually shop from Crawford market as the items here are available at wholesale rates and hence comparatively cheaper than the ones found anywhere elserdquoShania Fernandes 23 a human resource professional also prefers shopping from Crawford market due to the good quality of the products available at affordable rates She shares ldquoWe usually start decorating our home four days before Christmas because my mother thinks dust accumulates if we start early Shania loves every part of Christmas right from decorating the home to relishing Christmas treats together with the familyChristelle Rosario 26 a senior PR executive from Santacruz loves to shop for Christmas from Bandra or Christmas bazaars that are held in churches and Catholic gymkhanas She says ldquoThe decor around these sites is slightly higher priced however they are aesthetically quite pretty In bazaars particularly there are a few unique items such as Christmaspainted glass bottles or candles in the shape of a reindeer which elevate the Christmas lookrdquo This year Christelle bought a few wallhanging decorations bells Santa and reindeer figurines stars as well as some Christmas tree decorations ldquoWe are yet to hit the Christmas bazaars to see what new stuff they have come up withrdquo This Santacruz resident begins decorating her home a week in advance starting with the house decor then the tree and the crib For her the favourite part of Christmas is spending time with the family ldquoDecorating making Christmas sweets listening to carols builds a completely different feeling of togetherness that you dont get to experience any other time of the year Additionally the spread of food is something you can never miss out onrdquoFor those Mumbaikars who are yet to shop for the festival and are looking for options outside Bandra Midday Online curates a handy guide of such places in the city where one can find some of the best Christmas decor items Crawford MarketAmong the many things the market is famous for from food to cosmetics it is also known for its Christmas collection If you wish to shop with a calm mind without chaos afternoons would be the best time of the day since the place is usually crowded in the eveningOne entire lane in the market is adorned with decor items leaving customers spoilt for choice From a small snowflakecoated Christmas tree available at Rs 30 to a 10foot huge tree available for Rs 7000 this place has something for everyonePhoto Credits Amogh GolatkarImage One can find a starshaped lantern crib set decorations for the tree fancy Christmassy headbands fairy lights streamers wreaths baubles bells Santa socks reindeer and much more at a variety of price range that depends on the size of each item What makes this place unique is that it offers customers a chance to bargain and get the best dealsOne of the sellers at the market Nawaz 53 who has been selling Christmas decor for the past 16 years tells us ldquoAt the market we start selling Christmas material from midNovember onwards For now the sale is low but it will pick up as the festival approaches Customers start shopping at least a week early However people shop till the very last dayrdquo Nawaz is selling mini Christmas trees starting at just Rs 30 The crib set is also worth checking out with the smallest one starting at Rs 350 and the large one priced at Rs 5500 Photo Credits Amogh GolatkarGyzel Rodrigues a Mira Road resident had come down to Crawford market along with her mother and a sixyearold daughter While Gyzel and her mother were busy selecting a Christmas tree the little munchkin was engaged in picking a Santa Claus for herself With a coy smile on her face the little one tells us ldquoI love playing with Santa and also helping mommy to decorate the treerdquoEarlier Gyzel used to shop from Bandra however it is only recently that her family shifted to shopping from Crawford ldquoHere we have innumerable options to choose from and that too at much cheaper rates than BandrardquoBorivali West IC ColonyMidday Onlinersquos next stop was Borivali where we found two stores in IC Colony situated right outside the IC Church They offer myriad options to choose fromCity CollectionPhoto Credits Amogh GolatkarRitik Patel24 runs City Collection that has been selling Christmas decor material for the past 18 years Ritik enjoys customer loyalty from a majority of residents living in the area He says ldquoI sell AZ items related to Christmas My customers will find everything they need in my storerdquo True to this the store has organised a massive display of decor items at the entrance that is unmissable and lures one into making a purchase At City Collection you can buy a 1foot tall tree for Rs 90 and a 20foot tall tree for Rs 10000 These prices can also vary depending on the quality and material used to make the product Ritik says ldquoSince plastic is banned most of the items are made using fibre with only a few made from plasticrdquoSharing more details he also says ldquoSince most of the products are manufactured in China or use materials produced in China the sale of Christmas decor was meagre during the Covid19 pandemic However postpandemic I have observed a hike in the sales of these itemsrdquoHe also informs that each year there are about 5060 new and unique designs that make it to the market while retaining the cultural essence of Christmas decor materialChoice CentrePhoto Credits Amogh GolatkarAnother store that shoppers can check out is Choice Centre which is located opposite City Collection Its owner Janak Mauji Phatak began selling Christmas items some 20 years back Besides selling trees and wreaths the main attraction here are miniatures displayed in basketsOne can find mini drums Santas snow bells stars cherry leaves disco balls pinecones snow bears bows and much more starting at just Rs 10Prices at both these stores are fixedMalad West OrlemAnother neighbourhood in Mumbairsquos Malad is Orlem Quaint and peaceful this locality mainly has Catholic residents Orlem is also home to Our Lady of Lourdes Church surrounding which one can find stores selling Christmas delights We spotted three stores which will offer you items you wonrsquot find anywhere else Fantasy CollectionPhoto Credits Amogh GolatkarThe variety of Christmas decor items is so huge at Fantasy Collection that they had to take an additional spot on rent to display their extensive spread of items Stepping into this store will transport you to an ancient period The inside of the store is stuffed with Christmas decor and miniatures that were exclusively spotted here Ramu 30 who was managing the store says ldquoI have been working here for over 10 years Each year I meet old customers and also see many new facesrdquoIn his observation people have cut down on shopping postpandemic ldquoI guess peoplersquos spending capacity has reduced after the pandemic and they prefer to shop less as compared to some five years back Fir bhi log khareedte hai thoda bohot Tyohar toh log manate hi hai bhale kam kharche mai Nevertheless people do buy a few items because after festival celebrations are a mustrdquoJain Mobile and Gift CentrePhoto Credits Amogh GolatkarFor those who donrsquot mind spending a tad bit extra and also wish to purchase Christmasthemed mugs bottles and other items can head to Jain Mobile and Gift Centre which has been selling Christmas items for the past seven yearsJayashree Jain owner of the store says ldquoOrlem is a Christian locality so we decided to sell Christmas itemsrdquo With an infectious smile and a friendly approach Jayashree displays excitement to show customers the variety of items available for sale A unique item at her store was a dancing Santa hat priced at Rs 950 that also has a voicemimicry feature installed When asked about the kind of demands she gets from customers she smiles and says ldquoI find my Christian customers to be very simple and sweet They donrsquot have any extravagant demandsrdquo At the store the starting price of a wreath is Rs 20 and Rs 30 for trees According to her the best time to shop at Orlem is in the evenings since all stores light up their shops to also display a variety of lighting on saleA1 CollectionPhoto Credits Amogh GolatkarEstablished by Kamlesh Patel in 1988 A1 Collection is one of the oldest shops in the locality and is known for selling festive items The store manager here tells us ldquoBesides the Catholic residents of Malad we also have customers coming from across Mumbai especially from Bandra Vile Parle and Andherirdquo Here too one can find almost everything for the festival Besides this the store also sells unique lighting and showpieces which are worth buying if one wishes to elevate their home decor The pricing of items here too fall within similar ranges of Rs 150 to Rs 10000 depending on the item you purchase and its size