Christmas 2025: How some workplaces in Mumbai are celebrating the festival

As Christmas rolls around the city seems to collectively switch its phones to Do Not Disturb Work slows calendars empty and December becomes shorthand for rest reunions and indulgence While many pack their bags for holidays or retreat into family time there is a large section of the city for whom this is the most demanding month of the yearFor those in hospitality and serviceoriented businesses Christmas doesnrsquot mean fewer hours It means longer days and fuller tables Restaurants cafes and kitchens run at their busiest just as the rest of the city clocks out The season of joy after all requires people who keep showing up to create it So how do you celebrate Christmas when therersquos barely time to pause Read more and find outScavenging through BandraFor those in public relations the holiday season often arrives with a packed calendar of events and back to back deadlines But for Tripti BhatiaGandhi Christmas has always remained nonnegotiableThe founder and CEO of Detales Communications makes it a point to protect the festive spirit even during the busiest time of the year For nearly 15 years now she has brought Christmas alive at work through the Detales Christmas Scavenger Hunt played out across the neighbourhood of BandraldquoMy mum made Christmas very special for me growing uprdquo says BhatiaGandhi ldquoWe wrote letters to Santa decorated the house and really looked forward to it every year When I started Detales I wanted to carry that feeling into the workplace too because Christmas is my favourite holidayrdquoThe scavenger hunt began as a small internal activity and has since grown into an elaborate annual ritual She tells us ldquoThe entire team is divided into four groups each given a clue sheet that sends them across Bandra to complete a series of tasks Teams build their own identities from scratch complete with names logos Instagram pages badges and wristbands approaching the hunt with the same seriousness as a brand campaignrdquoTasks range from singing Christmas carols to strangers to partnering with restaurants to create signature cocktails and convincing passers by to try them Every detail is planned produced and executed by the teams themselvesThe hunt culminates in a year end celebration on December 22 Spread across nearly 20 different tasks the evening unfolds over several hours While the top two teams receive a cash prize all participants are recognised keeping the focus firmly on participationAlthough there is also a Secret Santa that happens at work BhatiaGandhi wanted to go one step beyond to make sure her team has fun ldquoEveryone gets really investedrdquo The thoughtfulness extends beyond the huntAcknowledging that December is also the most demanding month of the year BhatiaGandhi makes it a point to soften the grind From arranging back and shoulder massages during work hours to introducing small weekly treats the idea is simple if the work has to be relentless the care should be constant tooThe prize of ChristmasFor bakeries Christmas is the season that puts baking at the centre With that comes a level of demand that turns December into a relentless sugardusted marathon ldquoFor us Christmas is complete madnessrdquo says Manish Khanna founder of the 28yearold Brownie Point ldquoThere is no day there is no night We work 14 to 15 hours every single dayrdquoChef Manish Khanna and his team do a big Christmas party on December 25 where they order all their favourite food and eat the desserts they so painstakingly baked PICNIMESH DAVEHis kitchens churn out marzipan kulkul guava cheese milk cream and plum cake ldquoGuava cheese and milk cream have to be cooked for three to four hours and then dried for two to three days Itrsquos a long process but thatrsquos what makes Christmas baking specialrdquoCorporate orders begin as early as the first week of December with offices embracing Christmas gifting much like they do Diwali ldquoRight now I have an order of about 2400 pieces going outrdquo Khanna says ldquoThe last 10 days have just been stirring pots checking consistency assigning teamsrdquoMost of Khannarsquos staff has been with him for years and knows that December sustains the rest of the year ldquoThey understand that this one month helps us catch uprdquo he says ldquoI donrsquot have to motivate them Often theyrsquore the ones telling me lsquoSir letrsquos make a little morersquordquo Khannarsquos affection for his staff is evident ldquoThis season works because everyone supports each otherrdquoThat shared push is rewarded with shared celebration Once the rush eases the team comes together for a small Christmas party ldquoAfter all the work is over we order food from outside and sit together We do this on Christmas and New Yearrsquosrdquo Khanna says simply Once the frenzy fades Khanna and team actually celebrate in January when they finally have a moment to breathe ldquoI save the last batches of plum cake for then Although fresh plum cake is to die for when itrsquos soaked and matured in the rum for so long that taste is unmatched Thatrsquos the real prize of Christmas for usrdquoThe season of givingSteps cafe is located at the eponymous steps of Mount Mary church in Bandra Christmas then becomes the busiest month of the year Social media manager at the cafe Piushi Ajwani tells us ldquoMount Mary does a midnight mass so we have a lot of footfall on Christmas eve as well December 24 is the only day of the year we stay open till 4 amrdquoMost of the staff at Steps isnrsquot Christian but their annual party for the kids of the Steps neighbourhood is the day they look forward to the most every year FILE PICSATEJ SHINDEThey have employees from all over India who have migrated to Mumbai to work Steps offers these employees accommodation near the cafe They all live together eat together work together Over the years they have come to become a little family ldquoMost of our staff donrsquot come from Catholic families Team member Sherwyn Dsouza joined us recently and hersquos extremely enthusiastic about Christmas This year therersquos even more excitement because the staff have organised an unofficial Secret Santa among themselves which is really adorable Little things like that bring everyone together and make the celebration feel sharedrdquoBut the spirit of Christmas is to give back and this isnrsquot lost on the Steps family Every year they organise a party with their staff for the kids from the Sarkari Basti nearby ldquoWersquove been doing this every year since the cafe started The Sarkari Basti is right behind Steps and there are a lot of children We interact with them daily They say hello when they pass by after school and wersquove seen many of them grow uprdquo says Ajwani ldquoSo on December 22 we host a party for the childrenrdquoThe party consists of games and prizes for everyone to win the kids and staff both The owner Ravi Kanal is also an art director so he designs custom jerseys for all the employees at the cafe ldquoLast year the theme was football this year itrsquos ugly Christmas sweaters The kids and staff get to pick their own numbers and on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day all of us wear the jerseys togetherrdquoSteps is all lit up for ChristmasEven though most of the staff is not Christian the spirit of the holiday is inescapable at Steps All the employees get personally involved in every detail from decoration to the organisation of the party Ajwani says ldquoIt is chaotic and everyone definitely puts in overtime But because wersquore all there together through the entire season therersquos a strong sense of camaraderie If someone needs a break others step inrdquo Over the years the staff has also built a relationship with the kids of Sarkari Basti and every year they look forward to this celebration of Christmas