Get set to re-set you’re your moody blues in these wintry days of early nights and nippy evenings, as you join Delhi’s citizenry abandon itself to the festive shine and cheer of Christmas and New Year. With the loosening of the grip of the pandemic, Delhi’s markets are abuzz with many allurements for the festive season. Let’s shine a light on Christmas shopping in Delhi’s hot spots where Dilliwallahs not only indulge their loved ones, but themselves as well.
Not everyone is knowledgeable about how some embassies and high commissions in Delhi have made themselves an intrinsic part of the city’s Christmas shopping experiences. Amongst the most popular embassy events of these Christmas bazaars are the German Christmas Market where one can buy Christmas decorations and home accessories, candles, gift items, handicrafts–and gorge on brownies, sausages, waffles, mulled wine and beer. Adding to the buzz for kids are magic shows, drawing, painting contests, and gifts from Santa Claus; the OZ Haat Mela's - Picnic On The Lawns, is organized by the Australian High Commission and has a huge number of participants selling a slew of exciting gift items, snacks and eats; American Welcome Association (AWA) holds a Holiday Mela around Christmas time which is hosted at the American Embassy School in Chanakyapuri; it has a huge number of stalls hawking jewellery, handicrafts, organic food products etc to support small businesses. Fun activities for kids add a fresh shine to the whole experience, including puppet shows, dance workshops and sing-along sessions.
The city’s most indulgent Christmas flea market is resurfacing this festive season after a longish hiatus. The Boho Bazaar will liven up your shopping experiences with its wonderful line-up of over 200 Christmas market pop-ups.
The Christmas Carnival at Select City Walk, Saket, one of Delhi’s most happening malls, will blow you away with its merry ambiance, its stunning Christmas tree, the light-up with fairy lights, the masses of gifts to choose from and fun-loving crowds to mingle with.
The shopping indulgences of the INA Market at Christmas time continue to grow each year. Dilliwallahs stock up on Xmas trees, Christmas wreathes, tinsel baubles from the shops and pop-up stall. From across the road beckons the many regional allurements of Dilli Haat, where you can shop directly from artisans, sans middlemen. Items such as handicrafts, textiles, jewellery, woollies, rugs, bamboo craft from the North East, dokhra craft from Bastar, Kashmiri papier machie items etc from different parts of India.
CK Lal in Jor Bagh has always been popular with the diplomatic crowd to which it caters to nicely for Christmas décor and gifting items. They have lovely scented candles, silk scarves, unique items in Jaipur Blue Pottery craft and lots more.
At Wenger's, Delhi’s iconic pastry shop, indulge your sweet tooth with plum pudding, mince pies and Christmas cake to go. A box-full of Wengers goodies makes for a very welcome gift, too. Flury’s at the Park Hotel, also in Connaught Place, is famous for their Christmas cake.
The twinkly Christmas fairy lights with which Janpath is decked out add a merry air to this popular shopping hotspot; many exciting bargains may be had here on clothing, bags, handicrafts, homeware, coffee table books, scented candles, scarves, warm knits, etc. The pavement stalls where women sell vibrant works from Gujarat and woollies from Ladakh add a nice flavour to the festive ambiance.