Best places to celebrate Christmas in India

It’s Christmas time and lot of folks are planning vacations with families. For last few days, we have been receiving various queries about destinations to celebrate Christmas. And we never really thought about it. We definitely thought about planning cost effective travel plans during last week of December when most of the tourist destinations are very expensive. But this post mainly focusses on relevant places where Christmas can be celebrated in best way with your family and friends.As we started looking into our old Travelogues by Travellingcamera team and guest bloggers, few options were quite obvious. But we spent significant time in exploring other options as well. We have tried to share appropriate reasons for choosing that particular place and it’s pros/cons.Goa is popular for it’s beaches and nightlife. At the same time, it’s best place to celebrate Christmas in India. Goa has Portuguese legacy and has significant Catholic population. Christmas is much awaited time for Goan people and the place changes drastically to celebrate the special Christmas & welcome tourists with unique colors. There are lot churches in goa and all of them are decorated with beautiful lights and flowers. Kids are super excited during Christmas week and sing Christmas carol late into the night. Folks of different age groups head towards churches for midnight mass. The Christmas is another reason apart from beaches & nightlife, which attracts tourists from different parts of the world.SHILLONG -Shillong is a beautiful city in Meghalaya, which is in north-east part of India. This city has significant Christian population and hence there are various reasons to celebrate the birth anniversary of Christ - Christmas. Shillong is beautiful place having amazing landscapes. This place is also popular for Christmas celebrations in north-east. All the places in city are beautifully lit and one can easily feel the excitement in the air. If you know about Diwali, then you can relate to the excitement level in the city. The midnight mass sees lot of folks in churches of the city and music bands performing at various places. If you haven’y been to North-East India, Christmas is a good reason to plan a trip there.you love traveling and have never been to Pondicherry, then Christmas can be a very good reason for you to plan a trip to Little France of India. There are some very interesting places to visit in Pondicherry and recommended experiences to have. Pondicherry tourism has been growing but you find peaceful environment here. That’s the beauty. Unlike other places, you can enjoy Christmas in this union territory at peace. Pondicherry is just off to Tamilnadu. Like Goa, Puducherry also has a significant population of Roman Catholic population. Christmas is the time when Puducherry becomes brighter (well lit) and you can feel the excitement of celebrations. During Christmas one can plan to visit Church of the Assumption, The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges (The Church of Our Lady of Angels), The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, and Church of Our Lady of Good Health are quite a sight to witness. Most of these places are wonderfully decorated to celebrate the special day.Christmas celebrations in Kolkata is an exceptional experience. The Park street is decorated with colorful lights and it’s a must experience thing. The whole Park street is decorated with the brightest lights, you can see late night parties and rock music at the restaurants and pubs. There are queues of Christmas trees in front of most of the eateries around Park Street. Kids enjoy walking around the street, where various Santas meet them to share chocolates. There are some interesting bakeries around Park Street, where you can find nice cakes to share with friends on Christmas. Flurys is one of the popular stores to grab Christmas cake. People come here well dressed and ensure that they make best of this time. And this happens for a week. Although there are not many Chritians in the city as compared to Goa or Pondicheery, the churches are decorated beautifully. People love shopping during this time on Park Street.Daman & Diu has significant Portuguese influence and hence it becomes one of the best places to celebrate Christmas in India. Christmas Carols in Daman & Diu are quite popular.Christmas is special time to watch cultural shows and Portuguese dance forms like Corrindinho etc. Beautiful and vibrant lamps look awesome, especially in night. During Christmas one must visit Saint Paul's Church, Se Cathedral and Church of Our Lady of Rosary. Daman and Diu is a good alternate to Goa, if you are looking for same level of excitement and similar landscapes.Last year I was in Wayanad (Kerala) and noticed that almost every house had Christmas decoration in the courtyard and star shaped decorative items hanging around the balconies. Although we were there after Christmas but still we could sense the mood of celebrations. Christmas cakes were still in demand and our hosts offered different kinds of cakes. Kerala is another place where Christmas is celebrated with lot of enthusiasm. The state has a very strong Christian population with countless churches across the state. We noticed churched in small villages which were very well maintained and a medium of community strength. All bigger & smaller churches remain open throughout the night and folks gather at churches across the state to sing midnight mass. Apart from Christmas festivities, one can explore the beautiful state through it’s beaches, tea estates, backwater experiences etc. Supposedly Kerala has largest populations of Christians in India. Midnight mass at Kochi is one of the city's heritage cathedrals, St. Francis Church is quite popular. This Church is built by Portuguese traders and oldest European church in India. It is also the place where explorer Vasco da Gama's remains were temporarily buried.WHITE CHRISTMAS IN MANALI -Lot of folks in North India prefer to head towards Manali or Shimla for white Christmas. This year, Manali has already got the snowfall. And there is always a probability of fresh snowfall in Manali & Shimla. There are few churches in almost every hill station in Himachal Pradesh - Shimla, Dalhousie, Kasauli, Mcleodganj, Manali etc.

It’s Christmas time and lot of folks are planning vacations with families. For last few days, we have been receiving various queries about destinations to celebrate Christmas. And we never really thought about it. We definitely thought about planning cost effective travel plans during last week of December when most of the tourist destinations are very expensive. But this post mainly focusses on relevant places where Christmas can be celebrated in best way with your family and friends.

It’s Christmas time and lot of folks are planning vacations with families. For last few days, we have been receiving various queries about destinations to celebrate Christmas. And we never really thought about it. We definitely thought about planning cost effective travel plans during last week of December when most of the tourist destinations are very expensive. But this post mainly focusses on relevant places where Christmas can be celebrated in best way with your family and friends.As we started looking into our old Travelogues by Travellingcamera team and guest bloggers, few options were quite obvious. But we spent significant time in exploring other options as well. We have tried to share appropriate reasons for choosing that particular place and it’s pros/cons.Goa is popular for it’s beaches and nightlife. At the same time, it’s best place to celebrate Christmas in India. Goa has Portuguese legacy and has significant Catholic population. Christmas is much awaited time for Goan people and the place changes drastically to celebrate the special Christmas & welcome tourists with unique colors. There are lot churches in goa and all of them are decorated with beautiful lights and flowers. Kids are super excited during Christmas week and sing Christmas carol late into the night. Folks of different age groups head towards churches for midnight mass. The Christmas is another reason apart from beaches & nightlife, which attracts tourists from different parts of the world.SHILLONG -Shillong is a beautiful city in Meghalaya, which is in north-east part of India. This city has significant Christian population and hence there are various reasons to celebrate the birth anniversary of Christ - Christmas. Shillong is beautiful place having amazing landscapes. This place is also popular for Christmas celebrations in north-east. All the places in city are beautifully lit and one can easily feel the excitement in the air. If you know about Diwali, then you can relate to the excitement level in the city. The midnight mass sees lot of folks in churches of the city and music bands performing at various places. If you haven’y been to North-East India, Christmas is a good reason to plan a trip there.you love traveling and have never been to Pondicherry, then Christmas can be a very good reason for you to plan a trip to Little France of India. There are some very interesting places to visit in Pondicherry and recommended experiences to have. Pondicherry tourism has been growing but you find peaceful environment here. That’s the beauty. Unlike other places, you can enjoy Christmas in this union territory at peace. Pondicherry is just off to Tamilnadu. Like Goa, Puducherry also has a significant population of Roman Catholic population. Christmas is the time when Puducherry becomes brighter (well lit) and you can feel the excitement of celebrations. During Christmas one can plan to visit Church of the Assumption, The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges (The Church of Our Lady of Angels), The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, and Church of Our Lady of Good Health are quite a sight to witness. Most of these places are wonderfully decorated to celebrate the special day.Christmas celebrations in Kolkata is an exceptional experience. The Park street is decorated with colorful lights and it’s a must experience thing. The whole Park street is decorated with the brightest lights, you can see late night parties and rock music at the restaurants and pubs. There are queues of Christmas trees in front of most of the eateries around Park Street. Kids enjoy walking around the street, where various Santas meet them to share chocolates. There are some interesting bakeries around Park Street, where you can find nice cakes to share with friends on Christmas. Flurys is one of the popular stores to grab Christmas cake. People come here well dressed and ensure that they make best of this time. And this happens for a week. Although there are not many Chritians in the city as compared to Goa or Pondicheery, the churches are decorated beautifully. People love shopping during this time on Park Street.Daman & Diu has significant Portuguese influence and hence it becomes one of the best places to celebrate Christmas in India. Christmas Carols in Daman & Diu are quite popular.Christmas is special time to watch cultural shows and Portuguese dance forms like Corrindinho etc. Beautiful and vibrant lamps look awesome, especially in night. During Christmas one must visit Saint Paul's Church, Se Cathedral and Church of Our Lady of Rosary. Daman and Diu is a good alternate to Goa, if you are looking for same level of excitement and similar landscapes.Last year I was in Wayanad (Kerala) and noticed that almost every house had Christmas decoration in the courtyard and star shaped decorative items hanging around the balconies. Although we were there after Christmas but still we could sense the mood of celebrations. Christmas cakes were still in demand and our hosts offered different kinds of cakes. Kerala is another place where Christmas is celebrated with lot of enthusiasm. The state has a very strong Christian population with countless churches across the state. We noticed churched in small villages which were very well maintained and a medium of community strength. All bigger & smaller churches remain open throughout the night and folks gather at churches across the state to sing midnight mass. Apart from Christmas festivities, one can explore the beautiful state through it’s beaches, tea estates, backwater experiences etc. Supposedly Kerala has largest populations of Christians in India. Midnight mass at Kochi is one of the city's heritage cathedrals, St. Francis Church is quite popular. This Church is built by Portuguese traders and oldest European church in India. It is also the place where explorer Vasco da Gama's remains were temporarily buried.WHITE CHRISTMAS IN MANALI -Lot of folks in North India prefer to head towards Manali or Shimla for white Christmas. This year, Manali has already got the snowfall. And there is always a probability of fresh snowfall in Manali & Shimla. There are few churches in almost every hill station in Himachal Pradesh - Shimla, Dalhousie, Kasauli, Mcleodganj, Manali etc.


 As we started looking into our old Travelogues by Travellingcamera team and guest bloggers, few options were quite obvious. But we spent significant time in exploring other options as well. We have tried to share appropriate reasons for choosing that particular place and it’s pros/cons.

It’s Christmas time and lot of folks are planning vacations with families. For last few days, we have been receiving various queries about destinations to celebrate Christmas. And we never really thought about it. We definitely thought about planning cost effective travel plans during last week of December when most of the tourist destinations are very expensive. But this post mainly focusses on relevant places where Christmas can be celebrated in best way with your family and friends.As we started looking into our old Travelogues by Travellingcamera team and guest bloggers, few options were quite obvious. But we spent significant time in exploring other options as well. We have tried to share appropriate reasons for choosing that particular place and it’s pros/cons.Goa is popular for it’s beaches and nightlife. At the same time, it’s best place to celebrate Christmas in India. Goa has Portuguese legacy and has significant Catholic population. Christmas is much awaited time for Goan people and the place changes drastically to celebrate the special Christmas & welcome tourists with unique colors. There are lot churches in goa and all of them are decorated with beautiful lights and flowers. Kids are super excited during Christmas week and sing Christmas carol late into the night. Folks of different age groups head towards churches for midnight mass. The Christmas is another reason apart from beaches & nightlife, which attracts tourists from different parts of the world.SHILLONG -Shillong is a beautiful city in Meghalaya, which is in north-east part of India. This city has significant Christian population and hence there are various reasons to celebrate the birth anniversary of Christ - Christmas. Shillong is beautiful place having amazing landscapes. This place is also popular for Christmas celebrations in north-east. All the places in city are beautifully lit and one can easily feel the excitement in the air. If you know about Diwali, then you can relate to the excitement level in the city. The midnight mass sees lot of folks in churches of the city and music bands performing at various places. If you haven’y been to North-East India, Christmas is a good reason to plan a trip there.you love traveling and have never been to Pondicherry, then Christmas can be a very good reason for you to plan a trip to Little France of India. There are some very interesting places to visit in Pondicherry and recommended experiences to have. Pondicherry tourism has been growing but you find peaceful environment here. That’s the beauty. Unlike other places, you can enjoy Christmas in this union territory at peace. Pondicherry is just off to Tamilnadu. Like Goa, Puducherry also has a significant population of Roman Catholic population. Christmas is the time when Puducherry becomes brighter (well lit) and you can feel the excitement of celebrations. During Christmas one can plan to visit Church of the Assumption, The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges (The Church of Our Lady of Angels), The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, and Church of Our Lady of Good Health are quite a sight to witness. Most of these places are wonderfully decorated to celebrate the special day.Christmas celebrations in Kolkata is an exceptional experience. The Park street is decorated with colorful lights and it’s a must experience thing. The whole Park street is decorated with the brightest lights, you can see late night parties and rock music at the restaurants and pubs. There are queues of Christmas trees in front of most of the eateries around Park Street. Kids enjoy walking around the street, where various Santas meet them to share chocolates. There are some interesting bakeries around Park Street, where you can find nice cakes to share with friends on Christmas. Flurys is one of the popular stores to grab Christmas cake. People come here well dressed and ensure that they make best of this time. And this happens for a week. Although there are not many Chritians in the city as compared to Goa or Pondicheery, the churches are decorated beautifully. People love shopping during this time on Park Street.Daman & Diu has significant Portuguese influence and hence it becomes one of the best places to celebrate Christmas in India. Christmas Carols in Daman & Diu are quite popular.Christmas is special time to watch cultural shows and Portuguese dance forms like Corrindinho etc. Beautiful and vibrant lamps look awesome, especially in night. During Christmas one must visit Saint Paul's Church, Se Cathedral and Church of Our Lady of Rosary. Daman and Diu is a good alternate to Goa, if you are looking for same level of excitement and similar landscapes.Last year I was in Wayanad (Kerala) and noticed that almost every house had Christmas decoration in the courtyard and star shaped decorative items hanging around the balconies. Although we were there after Christmas but still we could sense the mood of celebrations. Christmas cakes were still in demand and our hosts offered different kinds of cakes. Kerala is another place where Christmas is celebrated with lot of enthusiasm. The state has a very strong Christian population with countless churches across the state. We noticed churched in small villages which were very well maintained and a medium of community strength. All bigger & smaller churches remain open throughout the night and folks gather at churches across the state to sing midnight mass. Apart from Christmas festivities, one can explore the beautiful state through it’s beaches, tea estates, backwater experiences etc. Supposedly Kerala has largest populations of Christians in India. Midnight mass at Kochi is one of the city's heritage cathedrals, St. Francis Church is quite popular. This Church is built by Portuguese traders and oldest European church in India. It is also the place where explorer Vasco da Gama's remains were temporarily buried.WHITE CHRISTMAS IN MANALI -Lot of folks in North India prefer to head towards Manali or Shimla for white Christmas. This year, Manali has already got the snowfall. And there is always a probability of fresh snowfall in Manali & Shimla. There are few churches in almost every hill station in Himachal Pradesh - Shimla, Dalhousie, Kasauli, Mcleodganj, Manali etc.

Goa is popular for it’s beaches and nightlife. At the same time, it’s best place to celebrate Christmas in India. Goa has Portuguese legacy and has significant Catholic population. Christmas is much awaited time for Goan people and the place changes drastically to celebrate the special Christmas & welcome tourists with unique colors. There are lot  churches in goa and all of them are decorated with beautiful lights and flowers. Kids are super excited during Christmas week and sing Christmas carol late into the night. Folks of different age groups head towards churches for midnight mass. The Christmas is another reason apart from beaches & nightlife, which attracts tourists from different parts of the world.

It’s Christmas time and lot of folks are planning vacations with families. For last few days, we have been receiving various queries about destinations to celebrate Christmas. And we never really thought about it. We definitely thought about planning cost effective travel plans during last week of December when most of the tourist destinations are very expensive. But this post mainly focusses on relevant places where Christmas can be celebrated in best way with your family and friends.As we started looking into our old Travelogues by Travellingcamera team and guest bloggers, few options were quite obvious. But we spent significant time in exploring other options as well. We have tried to share appropriate reasons for choosing that particular place and it’s pros/cons.Goa is popular for it’s beaches and nightlife. At the same time, it’s best place to celebrate Christmas in India. Goa has Portuguese legacy and has significant Catholic population. Christmas is much awaited time for Goan people and the place changes drastically to celebrate the special Christmas & welcome tourists with unique colors. There are lot churches in goa and all of them are decorated with beautiful lights and flowers. Kids are super excited during Christmas week and sing Christmas carol late into the night. Folks of different age groups head towards churches for midnight mass. The Christmas is another reason apart from beaches & nightlife, which attracts tourists from different parts of the world.SHILLONG -Shillong is a beautiful city in Meghalaya, which is in north-east part of India. This city has significant Christian population and hence there are various reasons to celebrate the birth anniversary of Christ - Christmas. Shillong is beautiful place having amazing landscapes. This place is also popular for Christmas celebrations in north-east. All the places in city are beautifully lit and one can easily feel the excitement in the air. If you know about Diwali, then you can relate to the excitement level in the city. The midnight mass sees lot of folks in churches of the city and music bands performing at various places. If you haven’y been to North-East India, Christmas is a good reason to plan a trip there.you love traveling and have never been to Pondicherry, then Christmas can be a very good reason for you to plan a trip to Little France of India. There are some very interesting places to visit in Pondicherry and recommended experiences to have. Pondicherry tourism has been growing but you find peaceful environment here. That’s the beauty. Unlike other places, you can enjoy Christmas in this union territory at peace. Pondicherry is just off to Tamilnadu. Like Goa, Puducherry also has a significant population of Roman Catholic population. Christmas is the time when Puducherry becomes brighter (well lit) and you can feel the excitement of celebrations. During Christmas one can plan to visit Church of the Assumption, The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges (The Church of Our Lady of Angels), The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, and Church of Our Lady of Good Health are quite a sight to witness. Most of these places are wonderfully decorated to celebrate the special day.Christmas celebrations in Kolkata is an exceptional experience. The Park street is decorated with colorful lights and it’s a must experience thing. The whole Park street is decorated with the brightest lights, you can see late night parties and rock music at the restaurants and pubs. There are queues of Christmas trees in front of most of the eateries around Park Street. Kids enjoy walking around the street, where various Santas meet them to share chocolates. There are some interesting bakeries around Park Street, where you can find nice cakes to share with friends on Christmas. Flurys is one of the popular stores to grab Christmas cake. People come here well dressed and ensure that they make best of this time. And this happens for a week. Although there are not many Chritians in the city as compared to Goa or Pondicheery, the churches are decorated beautifully. People love shopping during this time on Park Street.Daman & Diu has significant Portuguese influence and hence it becomes one of the best places to celebrate Christmas in India. Christmas Carols in Daman & Diu are quite popular.Christmas is special time to watch cultural shows and Portuguese dance forms like Corrindinho etc. Beautiful and vibrant lamps look awesome, especially in night. During Christmas one must visit Saint Paul's Church, Se Cathedral and Church of Our Lady of Rosary. Daman and Diu is a good alternate to Goa, if you are looking for same level of excitement and similar landscapes.Last year I was in Wayanad (Kerala) and noticed that almost every house had Christmas decoration in the courtyard and star shaped decorative items hanging around the balconies. Although we were there after Christmas but still we could sense the mood of celebrations. Christmas cakes were still in demand and our hosts offered different kinds of cakes. Kerala is another place where Christmas is celebrated with lot of enthusiasm. The state has a very strong Christian population with countless churches across the state. We noticed churched in small villages which were very well maintained and a medium of community strength. All bigger & smaller churches remain open throughout the night and folks gather at churches across the state to sing midnight mass. Apart from Christmas festivities, one can explore the beautiful state through it’s beaches, tea estates, backwater experiences etc. Supposedly Kerala has largest populations of Christians in India. Midnight mass at Kochi is one of the city's heritage cathedrals, St. Francis Church is quite popular. This Church is built by Portuguese traders and oldest European church in India. It is also the place where explorer Vasco da Gama's remains were temporarily buried.WHITE CHRISTMAS IN MANALI -Lot of folks in North India prefer to head towards Manali or Shimla for white Christmas. This year, Manali has already got the snowfall. And there is always a probability of fresh snowfall in Manali & Shimla. There are few churches in almost every hill station in Himachal Pradesh - Shimla, Dalhousie, Kasauli, Mcleodganj, Manali etc.

 SHILLONG -

Shillong is a beautiful city in Meghalaya, which is in north-east part of India. This city has significant Christian population and hence there are various reasons to celebrate the birth anniversary of Christ - Christmas. Shillong is beautiful place having amazing landscapes. This place is also popular for Christmas celebrations in north-east. All the places in city are beautifully lit and one can easily feel the excitement in the air. If you know about Diwali, then you can relate to the excitement level in the city. The midnight mass sees lot of folks in churches of the city and music bands performing at various places. If you haven’y been to North-East India, Christmas is a good reason to plan a trip there.

PONDICHERRY -

It’s Christmas time and lot of folks are planning vacations with families. For last few days, we have been receiving various queries about destinations to celebrate Christmas. And we never really thought about it. We definitely thought about planning cost effective travel plans during last week of December when most of the tourist destinations are very expensive. But this post mainly focusses on relevant places where Christmas can be celebrated in best way with your family and friends.As we started looking into our old Travelogues by Travellingcamera team and guest bloggers, few options were quite obvious. But we spent significant time in exploring other options as well. We have tried to share appropriate reasons for choosing that particular place and it’s pros/cons.Goa is popular for it’s beaches and nightlife. At the same time, it’s best place to celebrate Christmas in India. Goa has Portuguese legacy and has significant Catholic population. Christmas is much awaited time for Goan people and the place changes drastically to celebrate the special Christmas & welcome tourists with unique colors. There are lot churches in goa and all of them are decorated with beautiful lights and flowers. Kids are super excited during Christmas week and sing Christmas carol late into the night. Folks of different age groups head towards churches for midnight mass. The Christmas is another reason apart from beaches & nightlife, which attracts tourists from different parts of the world.SHILLONG -Shillong is a beautiful city in Meghalaya, which is in north-east part of India. This city has significant Christian population and hence there are various reasons to celebrate the birth anniversary of Christ - Christmas. Shillong is beautiful place having amazing landscapes. This place is also popular for Christmas celebrations in north-east. All the places in city are beautifully lit and one can easily feel the excitement in the air. If you know about Diwali, then you can relate to the excitement level in the city. The midnight mass sees lot of folks in churches of the city and music bands performing at various places. If you haven’y been to North-East India, Christmas is a good reason to plan a trip there.you love traveling and have never been to Pondicherry, then Christmas can be a very good reason for you to plan a trip to Little France of India. There are some very interesting places to visit in Pondicherry and recommended experiences to have. Pondicherry tourism has been growing but you find peaceful environment here. That’s the beauty. Unlike other places, you can enjoy Christmas in this union territory at peace. Pondicherry is just off to Tamilnadu. Like Goa, Puducherry also has a significant population of Roman Catholic population. Christmas is the time when Puducherry becomes brighter (well lit) and you can feel the excitement of celebrations. During Christmas one can plan to visit Church of the Assumption, The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges (The Church of Our Lady of Angels), The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, and Church of Our Lady of Good Health are quite a sight to witness. Most of these places are wonderfully decorated to celebrate the special day.Christmas celebrations in Kolkata is an exceptional experience. The Park street is decorated with colorful lights and it’s a must experience thing. The whole Park street is decorated with the brightest lights, you can see late night parties and rock music at the restaurants and pubs. There are queues of Christmas trees in front of most of the eateries around Park Street. Kids enjoy walking around the street, where various Santas meet them to share chocolates. There are some interesting bakeries around Park Street, where you can find nice cakes to share with friends on Christmas. Flurys is one of the popular stores to grab Christmas cake. People come here well dressed and ensure that they make best of this time. And this happens for a week. Although there are not many Chritians in the city as compared to Goa or Pondicheery, the churches are decorated beautifully. People love shopping during this time on Park Street.Daman & Diu has significant Portuguese influence and hence it becomes one of the best places to celebrate Christmas in India. Christmas Carols in Daman & Diu are quite popular.Christmas is special time to watch cultural shows and Portuguese dance forms like Corrindinho etc. Beautiful and vibrant lamps look awesome, especially in night. During Christmas one must visit Saint Paul's Church, Se Cathedral and Church of Our Lady of Rosary. Daman and Diu is a good alternate to Goa, if you are looking for same level of excitement and similar landscapes.Last year I was in Wayanad (Kerala) and noticed that almost every house had Christmas decoration in the courtyard and star shaped decorative items hanging around the balconies. Although we were there after Christmas but still we could sense the mood of celebrations. Christmas cakes were still in demand and our hosts offered different kinds of cakes. Kerala is another place where Christmas is celebrated with lot of enthusiasm. The state has a very strong Christian population with countless churches across the state. We noticed churched in small villages which were very well maintained and a medium of community strength. All bigger & smaller churches remain open throughout the night and folks gather at churches across the state to sing midnight mass. Apart from Christmas festivities, one can explore the beautiful state through it’s beaches, tea estates, backwater experiences etc. Supposedly Kerala has largest populations of Christians in India. Midnight mass at Kochi is one of the city's heritage cathedrals, St. Francis Church is quite popular. This Church is built by Portuguese traders and oldest European church in India. It is also the place where explorer Vasco da Gama's remains were temporarily buried.WHITE CHRISTMAS IN MANALI -Lot of folks in North India prefer to head towards Manali or Shimla for white Christmas. This year, Manali has already got the snowfall. And there is always a probability of fresh snowfall in Manali & Shimla. There are few churches in almost every hill station in Himachal Pradesh - Shimla, Dalhousie, Kasauli, Mcleodganj, Manali etc.If you love traveling and have never been to Pondicherry, then Christmas can be a very good reason for you to plan a trip to Little France of India. There are some very interesting places to visit in Pondicherry and recommended experiences to have. Pondicherry tourism has been growing but you find peaceful environment here. That’s the beauty. Unlike other places, you can enjoy Christmas in this union territory at peace. Pondicherry is just off to Tamilnadu. Like Goa, Puducherry also has a significant population of Roman Catholic population. Christmas is the time when Puducherry becomes brighter (well lit) and you can feel the excitement of celebrations. During Christmas one can plan to visit Church of the Assumption, The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges (The Church of Our Lady of Angels), The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, and Church of Our Lady of Good Health are quite a sight to witness. Most of these places are wonderfully decorated to celebrate the special day. 


Christmas celebrations in Kolkata is an exceptional experience. The Park street is decorated with colorful lights and it’s a must experience thing. The whole Park street is decorated with the brightest lights, you can see late night parties and rock music at the restaurants and pubs. There are queues of Christmas trees in front of most of the eateries around Park Street. Kids enjoy walking around the street, where various Santas meet them to share chocolates. There are some interesting bakeries around Park Street, where you can find nice cakes to share with friends on Christmas. Flurys is one of the popular stores to grab Christmas cake. People come here well dressed and ensure that they make best of this time. And this happens for a week. Although there are not many Chritians in the city as compared to Goa or Pondicheery,  the churches are decorated beautifully. People love shopping during this time on Park Street. 

It’s Christmas time and lot of folks are planning vacations with families. For last few days, we have been receiving various queries about destinations to celebrate Christmas. And we never really thought about it. We definitely thought about planning cost effective travel plans during last week of December when most of the tourist destinations are very expensive. But this post mainly focusses on relevant places where Christmas can be celebrated in best way with your family and friends.As we started looking into our old Travelogues by Travellingcamera team and guest bloggers, few options were quite obvious. But we spent significant time in exploring other options as well. We have tried to share appropriate reasons for choosing that particular place and it’s pros/cons.Goa is popular for it’s beaches and nightlife. At the same time, it’s best place to celebrate Christmas in India. Goa has Portuguese legacy and has significant Catholic population. Christmas is much awaited time for Goan people and the place changes drastically to celebrate the special Christmas & welcome tourists with unique colors. There are lot churches in goa and all of them are decorated with beautiful lights and flowers. Kids are super excited during Christmas week and sing Christmas carol late into the night. Folks of different age groups head towards churches for midnight mass. The Christmas is another reason apart from beaches & nightlife, which attracts tourists from different parts of the world.SHILLONG -Shillong is a beautiful city in Meghalaya, which is in north-east part of India. This city has significant Christian population and hence there are various reasons to celebrate the birth anniversary of Christ - Christmas. Shillong is beautiful place having amazing landscapes. This place is also popular for Christmas celebrations in north-east. All the places in city are beautifully lit and one can easily feel the excitement in the air. If you know about Diwali, then you can relate to the excitement level in the city. The midnight mass sees lot of folks in churches of the city and music bands performing at various places. If you haven’y been to North-East India, Christmas is a good reason to plan a trip there.you love traveling and have never been to Pondicherry, then Christmas can be a very good reason for you to plan a trip to Little France of India. There are some very interesting places to visit in Pondicherry and recommended experiences to have. Pondicherry tourism has been growing but you find peaceful environment here. That’s the beauty. Unlike other places, you can enjoy Christmas in this union territory at peace. Pondicherry is just off to Tamilnadu. Like Goa, Puducherry also has a significant population of Roman Catholic population. Christmas is the time when Puducherry becomes brighter (well lit) and you can feel the excitement of celebrations. During Christmas one can plan to visit Church of the Assumption, The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges (The Church of Our Lady of Angels), The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, and Church of Our Lady of Good Health are quite a sight to witness. Most of these places are wonderfully decorated to celebrate the special day.Christmas celebrations in Kolkata is an exceptional experience. The Park street is decorated with colorful lights and it’s a must experience thing. The whole Park street is decorated with the brightest lights, you can see late night parties and rock music at the restaurants and pubs. There are queues of Christmas trees in front of most of the eateries around Park Street. Kids enjoy walking around the street, where various Santas meet them to share chocolates. There are some interesting bakeries around Park Street, where you can find nice cakes to share with friends on Christmas. Flurys is one of the popular stores to grab Christmas cake. People come here well dressed and ensure that they make best of this time. And this happens for a week. Although there are not many Chritians in the city as compared to Goa or Pondicheery, the churches are decorated beautifully. People love shopping during this time on Park Street.Daman & Diu has significant Portuguese influence and hence it becomes one of the best places to celebrate Christmas in India. Christmas Carols in Daman & Diu are quite popular.Christmas is special time to watch cultural shows and Portuguese dance forms like Corrindinho etc. Beautiful and vibrant lamps look awesome, especially in night. During Christmas one must visit Saint Paul's Church, Se Cathedral and Church of Our Lady of Rosary. Daman and Diu is a good alternate to Goa, if you are looking for same level of excitement and similar landscapes.Last year I was in Wayanad (Kerala) and noticed that almost every house had Christmas decoration in the courtyard and star shaped decorative items hanging around the balconies. Although we were there after Christmas but still we could sense the mood of celebrations. Christmas cakes were still in demand and our hosts offered different kinds of cakes. Kerala is another place where Christmas is celebrated with lot of enthusiasm. The state has a very strong Christian population with countless churches across the state. We noticed churched in small villages which were very well maintained and a medium of community strength. All bigger & smaller churches remain open throughout the night and folks gather at churches across the state to sing midnight mass. Apart from Christmas festivities, one can explore the beautiful state through it’s beaches, tea estates, backwater experiences etc. Supposedly Kerala has largest populations of Christians in India. Midnight mass at Kochi is one of the city's heritage cathedrals, St. Francis Church is quite popular. This Church is built by Portuguese traders and oldest European church in India. It is also the place where explorer Vasco da Gama's remains were temporarily buried.WHITE CHRISTMAS IN MANALI -Lot of folks in North India prefer to head towards Manali or Shimla for white Christmas. This year, Manali has already got the snowfall. And there is always a probability of fresh snowfall in Manali & Shimla. There are few churches in almost every hill station in Himachal Pradesh - Shimla, Dalhousie, Kasauli, Mcleodganj, Manali etc.

 DAMAN AND DIU - 

Daman & Diu has significant Portuguese influence and hence it becomes one of the best places to celebrate Christmas in India. Christmas Carols in Daman &  Diu are quite popular.Christmas is special time to watch cultural shows and Portuguese dance forms like Corrindinho etc.  Beautiful and vibrant lamps look awesome, especially in night. During Christmas one must visit Saint Paul's Church, Se Cathedral and Church of Our Lady of Rosary. Daman and Diu is a good alternate to Goa, if you are looking for same level of excitement and similar landscapes.

It’s Christmas time and lot of folks are planning vacations with families. For last few days, we have been receiving various queries about destinations to celebrate Christmas. And we never really thought about it. We definitely thought about planning cost effective travel plans during last week of December when most of the tourist destinations are very expensive. But this post mainly focusses on relevant places where Christmas can be celebrated in best way with your family and friends.As we started looking into our old Travelogues by Travellingcamera team and guest bloggers, few options were quite obvious. But we spent significant time in exploring other options as well. We have tried to share appropriate reasons for choosing that particular place and it’s pros/cons.Goa is popular for it’s beaches and nightlife. At the same time, it’s best place to celebrate Christmas in India. Goa has Portuguese legacy and has significant Catholic population. Christmas is much awaited time for Goan people and the place changes drastically to celebrate the special Christmas & welcome tourists with unique colors. There are lot churches in goa and all of them are decorated with beautiful lights and flowers. Kids are super excited during Christmas week and sing Christmas carol late into the night. Folks of different age groups head towards churches for midnight mass. The Christmas is another reason apart from beaches & nightlife, which attracts tourists from different parts of the world.SHILLONG -Shillong is a beautiful city in Meghalaya, which is in north-east part of India. This city has significant Christian population and hence there are various reasons to celebrate the birth anniversary of Christ - Christmas. Shillong is beautiful place having amazing landscapes. This place is also popular for Christmas celebrations in north-east. All the places in city are beautifully lit and one can easily feel the excitement in the air. If you know about Diwali, then you can relate to the excitement level in the city. The midnight mass sees lot of folks in churches of the city and music bands performing at various places. If you haven’y been to North-East India, Christmas is a good reason to plan a trip there.you love traveling and have never been to Pondicherry, then Christmas can be a very good reason for you to plan a trip to Little France of India. There are some very interesting places to visit in Pondicherry and recommended experiences to have. Pondicherry tourism has been growing but you find peaceful environment here. That’s the beauty. Unlike other places, you can enjoy Christmas in this union territory at peace. Pondicherry is just off to Tamilnadu. Like Goa, Puducherry also has a significant population of Roman Catholic population. Christmas is the time when Puducherry becomes brighter (well lit) and you can feel the excitement of celebrations. During Christmas one can plan to visit Church of the Assumption, The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Eglise de Notre Dame des Anges (The Church of Our Lady of Angels), The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, and Church of Our Lady of Good Health are quite a sight to witness. Most of these places are wonderfully decorated to celebrate the special day.Christmas celebrations in Kolkata is an exceptional experience. The Park street is decorated with colorful lights and it’s a must experience thing. The whole Park street is decorated with the brightest lights, you can see late night parties and rock music at the restaurants and pubs. There are queues of Christmas trees in front of most of the eateries around Park Street. Kids enjoy walking around the street, where various Santas meet them to share chocolates. There are some interesting bakeries around Park Street, where you can find nice cakes to share with friends on Christmas. Flurys is one of the popular stores to grab Christmas cake. People come here well dressed and ensure that they make best of this time. And this happens for a week. Although there are not many Chritians in the city as compared to Goa or Pondicheery, the churches are decorated beautifully. People love shopping during this time on Park Street.Daman & Diu has significant Portuguese influence and hence it becomes one of the best places to celebrate Christmas in India. Christmas Carols in Daman & Diu are quite popular.Christmas is special time to watch cultural shows and Portuguese dance forms like Corrindinho etc. Beautiful and vibrant lamps look awesome, especially in night. During Christmas one must visit Saint Paul's Church, Se Cathedral and Church of Our Lady of Rosary. Daman and Diu is a good alternate to Goa, if you are looking for same level of excitement and similar landscapes.Last year I was in Wayanad (Kerala) and noticed that almost every house had Christmas decoration in the courtyard and star shaped decorative items hanging around the balconies. Although we were there after Christmas but still we could sense the mood of celebrations. Christmas cakes were still in demand and our hosts offered different kinds of cakes. Kerala is another place where Christmas is celebrated with lot of enthusiasm. The state has a very strong Christian population with countless churches across the state. We noticed churched in small villages which were very well maintained and a medium of community strength. All bigger & smaller churches remain open throughout the night and folks gather at churches across the state to sing midnight mass. Apart from Christmas festivities, one can explore the beautiful state through it’s beaches, tea estates, backwater experiences etc. Supposedly Kerala has largest populations of Christians in India. Midnight mass at Kochi is one of the city's heritage cathedrals, St. Francis Church is quite popular. This Church is built by Portuguese traders and oldest European church in India. It is also the place where explorer Vasco da Gama's remains were temporarily buried.WHITE CHRISTMAS IN MANALI -Lot of folks in North India prefer to head towards Manali or Shimla for white Christmas. This year, Manali has already got the snowfall. And there is always a probability of fresh snowfall in Manali & Shimla. There are few churches in almost every hill station in Himachal Pradesh - Shimla, Dalhousie, Kasauli, Mcleodganj, Manali etc.

 KERALA -

Last year I was in Wayanad (Kerala) and noticed that almost every house had Christmas decoration in the courtyard and star shaped decorative items hanging around the balconies. Although we were there after Christmas but still we could sense the mood of celebrations. Christmas cakes were still in demand and our hosts offered different kinds of cakes. Kerala is another place where Christmas is celebrated with lot of enthusiasm. The state has a very strong Christian population with countless churches across the state. We noticed churched in small villages which were very well maintained and a medium of community strength.  All bigger & smaller churches remain open throughout the night and folks gather at churches across the state to sing midnight mass. Apart from Christmas festivities, one can explore the beautiful state through it’s beaches, tea estates, backwater experiences etc. Supposedly Kerala has largest populations of Christians in India. Midnight mass at Kochi is one of the city's heritage cathedrals, St. Francis Church is quite popular. This Church is built by Portuguese traders and oldest European church in India.  It is also the place where explorer Vasco da Gama's remains were temporarily buried.


WHITE CHRISTMAS IN MANALI -

Lot of folks in North India prefer to head towards Manali or Shimla for white Christmas. This year, Manali has already got the snowfall. And there is always a probability of fresh snowfall in Manali & Shimla. There are few churches in almost every hill station in Himachal Pradesh - Shimla, Dalhousie, Kasauli, Mcleodganj, Manali etc.

METRO CITIES LIKE DELHI, MUMBAI & BANGLORE -
If you can't plan to any of the places mentioned above, nearest Metro city can be another destination for Christmas celebrations. Mumbai, Banglore and Delhi celebrate Christmas in a very special way. Christmas is equally important for residents of these cities, irrespective of their religion. 

HOME - And if nothing works out this year, plan to decorate your house, invite friends and celebrate Christmas at home. Celebrations with friends and family are always special.

Related Blogposts -

A white Christmas is referred to the presence of snow on Christmas Christmas Eve or Christmas Day depending on local tradition. This phenomenon is most common in the countries of the Northern Hemisphere. At the same time, Shimla always expects snow during the last week of December. Many of the folks reach Shimla to celebrate Christmas. Today Shimla has got snow and it seems that White Christmas is confirmed there. What about other parts of the world and who would witness the white Christmas in 2013?The definition of 'White Christmas' varies in different parts of the world. In most of the countries, it simply means that the ground is covered by snow on Christmas, but some countries have more strict definitions. In United States, people expect think layers of snow everywhere. In fact many of the countries have defined metrics to declare if it's a white Christmas or not. In UK, white Christmas simply means a complete covering of snow on Christmas Day... In the United Kingdom the most likely place to see snowfall on a Christmas Day is in North and North Eastern Scotland.In most parts of Canada it is likely to have a white Christmas every year, except for the coast and southern interior valleys of British Columbia, southern Ontario, southern Alberta, and parts of Atlantic Canada. Most part of Canada is already white and people are excited about white Christmas celebrations.This snow in Christmas not only creates excitement during Celebrations but also adds lot of fun thereafter. New Year celebrations with snow all around is one of the main excitement factors of White Christmas. It overall takes the excitement level high for a week at least, when most of the folks are busy in celebration Christmas & New Year. And everyone has different ways of celebrating Christmas in snow. Above photograph shows a enthusiastic biker riding on snow covered region during last week of December in Himalayan State of India - Himachal Pradesh.Although the term 'White Christmas' is usually referring to snow, if a significant hail accumulation occurs in an area on Christmas Day, which has happened in many of the areas in past including Melbourne. This results into white appearance of the landscape resembling snow cover, this can also be described as a White Christmas.Making Santa Claus of snow is one of the fun filled activity which kids enjoy the most. It's fun to make bigger Snowman and dress him with red colored cap and a jacket to make him look like Santa. Now, caps comes with Santa masks, so it has become easy to make this snowman look like Santa. 10 year back, we had lot of fun celebrating Christmas on Ridge ground in Shimla, in front of Christ Church. A huge group of students made a 3-4 feel Santa Claus with fresh snow and lot of the folks were playing with snow-balls around it. What a celebration mood it was. Everyone around us was very cheerful with red noses due to chill around us :)For many of us, snow is synonymous with Christmas. Christmas cards, songs and movies all portray a 'white Christmas'. During my childhood, I used to think that when hills get snow, it's called as Christmas, because in most of the movies we have seen people celebrating Christmas either on grounds full of snow or parties in glass covered halls through which snowfall could be seen outside. However, for most parts of the United Kingdom, Christmas is right at the beginning of the period when it's likely to snow and at times it doesn't even happen. Looking at climate history, wintry weather is more likely between January and March than December and same applies to hilly regions of India.White Christmases were quite frequent in the 18th and 19th centuries and that where the expectations have set that Christmas almost every-time comes with snowfall. Over the decades, climate change has also brought higher average temperatures over land and sea and this generally reduced the chances of a white Christmas. I keep a closer track of snowfall in Shimla, which is one of the main celebration destination for Indians. Shimla hardly gets snowfall in last week of December, which used to happen many years ago. This year is very lucky that Shimla is alreadt white and folks are excited about the White Christmas in 2013 !!!In different parts of the world, people start tracking weather forecast to understand if white Christmas will happen or not. In fact, many of the local media channels start giving forecasts for different regions.White Christmas also comes with an opportunity for Travel enthusiats to move to the locations having snow and appropriate arrangements for celebrating Christmas or New year Eves. As an example, many of the Indian folks move towards Shimla, Manali or other towns to celebrate Christmas in snow. Today only Shimla has got snow and all hotel owners are excited to welcome more tourists to come to Shimla and enjoy the special festival in snow.Here we wish a White Christmas to everyone who is eagerly waiting for snow to come and add extra excitement to the celebrations. Merry Christmas !!!Lucky are those who can witness a White Christmas || Merry Christmas











































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