STUDENT FROM PUNE SPENDING CHRISTMAS IN BANDRA

By Akita Chettri

Mumbai, 26th December 2025: There’s something about Bandra during Christmas that feels like walking through a living postcard, its streets glow with fairy lights, homes are wrapped in ribbons of warmth, and the air smells faintly of butter cookies and sea salt. For a student living in Mumbai, or visiting from another city, Bandra in December isn’t just a place, it’s an atmosphere that blends nostalgia, festivity, and belonging into one golden swirl of light. The mood is positively infectious.

As you walk along Hill Road or Perry Cross, houses twinkles with stars and hand-made cribs. Colonial-era bungalows stand beside hip cafés, both dressed up in Christmas hues. Churches like Mount Mary, St. Andrew’s, and St. Stephen’s transform into beacons of peace amid the chaos. Even though one may not be Christian, in this within the spirit to join in prayers and spread joy.

Food, naturally, becomes the heart of celebration. The smell of fresh plum cakes, biscuits and other snacks floats through the air, while groups of families and students line up for them. Every bakery was lined with these cookies and biscuits, and all lovely baked goods, waiting to be enjoyed with family and friends.

But beyond the lights and food, what defines Christmas in Bandra is community. It’s in the way families open their doors for neighbours, or the way parish volunteers distribute cakes to local street children. The noise, the laughter, the shared smiles, it all feels like Mumbai’s way of saying, “You belong.” People from different faiths partaking in such festivities is what truly screams “Bandra”.