Every year for over six years now, Vasaikar Kadambari Lobo goes 'crib hopping' with her husband during the Christmas season as the ride through the winding roads of Vasai's villages. With December being the busiest month for the home baker, she usually prefers to go in January, as she not only gets to spend enough time at the crib but is also able to avoid the crowd that flocks these cribs during this time of the year. While there are cribs that start closer to Vasai railway station, Lobo says some of the best ones can be found in the interiors in the villages and recommends riding through Bangli, Sandor, Giriz and Papdy villages to start with, if you are coming to Vasai this season. 

Like Lobo, even Merwyn Fernandes has been crib hopping in Vasai, and has been doing it for the last 25 years. The Mumbaikar particularly likes the ideas, art and its execution with the minute detailing, which he says is worth watching. Fernandes and his family take on the journey of visiting the cribs, which he looks out for, with the help of social media. These are made by individual houses as well as villages in the suburb. Such is the love for cribs in Vasai, that the WhatsApp groups have been buzzing with a message encouraging people to visit the cribs, which are a part of the Yuva Crib Contest 2023. 

Soaking in the buzz around Vasai, even Vishal Rao, who has been visiting cribs in Mumbai, wants to make a trip to the northern suburb. Even as the creativity comes to life, Rao appreciates how people work together and create a miniature imitation of the Christmas day, and the three kings coming for a visit later. To see the cribs, Rao likes to take a nice long walk from Dadar to Wadala because of convenience but doesn't fail to go to Bandra. It is also why he recommends checking out the cribs at Mount Mary and Mount Carmel churches. If you walk around the Catholic lanes of Bandra West.

In Andheri, Ritasha D'souza has also been going crib hopping with her parents for the last 15 years. Living in Amboli, the Mumbaikar also goes to Versova and Bandra during this season, and that is why she also recommends checking out the cribs in Amboli during this time of the year. When she was younger, the Mumbaikar appreciated the beauty of the Christmas decor and the lights but today she also enjoys the beauty of the message and the hope it offers.

All of these Mumbaikars have noticed an interesting change in how the themes for the cribs have changed over time. There are also various other characters that are a part of the Christmas crib. People have also made a modern-looking Baby Jesus, others have also added a day and night transition to their cribs. At the crib in Nanbhat in Vasai, they have a live show enacting the birth of Baby Jesus. People have become more conscious, so they have seen cribs made of waste materials. Most of the Nativity scenes try to depict the current situations and link it back to the traditional crib or the first Christmas. For example, many cribs this year have tried to emphasise on the brutal killings by war and spread the message of peace. Another crib highlights how we should care for creation around us.