My friend, Yogita Bhayana wrote:"A week before Diwali, keep your car stocked with small boxes of sweets, chocolates, crayons, small toys, ear-rings or any other small knick-knacks that can be useful. Let the good triumph over the evil in a real way."This sentiment on social media becomes beautiful if it translates into action. Instead of gifting cut flowers, gift a plant this Diwali. A few sparrows have begun to return to Delhi, scaring them off or literally killing them with loud crackers is not the ideal way to spend the festival of lights. smile and wish them a very happy Diwali. Cheap Chinese crackers have flooded the Indian market, despite the Centre&T5 High Efficiency Tube39;s ban on them. I myself have been suffering bad throat andlung infections for the last two months, I have had to take a daily dose of antibiotics, and have done two courses already! There are eco-friendly crackers made from recycled paper. Gift them to the boys who fill up petrol at petrol pumps, the old cobbler who sits under a tree in your neighbourhood, the girls who sell toys/balloons at traffic signals, the tailor who does your shirt buttons/trouser alterations, kids who beg on the roads, the lady who sits at the street side with a wicker basket of fresh vegetables, the artisan selling clay lamps and diyas, the people who collect your trash. While Delhi may not be able to match that kind of restraint, we can certainly try to cut back on the number of explosives and opting for those ecofriendly crackers I mentioned earlier.

It is worth the risk of being unpopular with our boys and men, and it is time to send out a message of being more responsible about our environment. Let's not think about impressing our rich friends by circulating the same Diwali gifts, but let us give some gifts to the under-privileged. Use the bio-degradable plates and glasses that are all the rage these days at all your parties..These crackers have not met the standard tests of safety that is imposed on those manufactured locally. As a result, the toxic haze over Indian cities every Diwali leaves residents gagging for oxygen. Let Lakshmi in with Diyas, lights and maybe a few legally obtained crackers that do not kill half the population of tiny birds that wing their way to Delhi for the winters. Write a cheque for the flood victims in Kerala instead of blowing it up on crackers, that is what I am telling my nieces and nephews this year. It's not about the loud crackers or how much you spend at gambling… it's about the little things you can do to put a smile on someone's face.

They may be cheaper but are very dangerous because they contain an inferior quality potassium chlorate and perchlorates that are banned in India because it's not at all suitable for the Indian climate. Other things that you can do for # mother earth this Diwali, is use earthen lamps and diyas, go shopping with your own jute or cloth bags and avoid the plastic bags the stores may offer you, technically they have been banned. Not because I am a damp squib who doesn't like it when my nephews and nieces burst crackers on Diwali, but because we live in different times.A friend posted this on her Facebook and it really touched my heart, mostly because it echoes what Diwali really means to me. The noise produced by these crackers is also within the decibel limits set by the Central Pollution Control Board. It certainly had me stocking up my car with goodies and I didn't stop there. Use natural colours for the Rangoli like coloured pulses, fresh flowers and bright yellow turmeric and red kumkum. The smile that lights up their faces at your unexpected gesture is more illuminating than a 1,000 electric lamps!! This Diwali, light a life and pass it on.

Holiday concerts by the one of the country’s most well-known symphonies, the Boston Pops, run at Symphony Hall throughout the month as well. This Rocky Mountain town, located 319 kilometers southwest of Denver, is famed for sublime skiing and luxurious living, but it’s the charm of Christmas that wins over visitors at this time of year.The holiday results are pure magic. Once at Faneuil Hall, stick around for the 7-minute Blink!, a light show featuring more than 350,000 LED lights used to illuminate the skyline that are set to festive songs.While snow on December 25 isn’t guaranteed, many communities across the country nevertheless go all out to embrace the season, from horse-drawn sleigh rides past windows aglow with candles, to meet-and-greets with real reindeer. But wintertime brings entirely cosier, snowier attractions to this area, about 250 kilometers north of Milwaukee.Aspen, ColoradoThe annual 12 Days of Aspen celebration features events such as Victorian carolers in the lobby of the Hotel Jerome, free family skating parties, ornament-making and holiday-card-making parties.Aspen, Colorado: With 4.Boston, Massachusetts: History seeps from every cobblestone street in Boston, Massachusetts, the site of many notable Revolutionary War events such as the Boston Tea Party..

MassachusettsStart with a peek at Boston’s two largest Christmas trees, one in Boston Common, founded in 1634, and one at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, which dates to 1742.When it comes to Christmas in the United States, many winter wonderland fantasies come true. Colonial history comes to life each year at Christmas, with holiday celebrations taking place at historic venues citywide.5 meters of average annual snowfall, Aspen, Colorado, qualifies as a winter wonderland.Native Americans have inhabited Taos Pueblo for more than 1,000 years, and the community plays host on Christmas Eve to vespers led by the archbishop of Santa Fe followed by the torchlight procession of the Virgin Mary. Take, for example, the million-plus white holiday twinkle lights decorating the 200 hundred trees along the famed Magnificent Mile, Chicago’s most upscale shopping avenue. Christmas cookies and hot chocolate are a must, and city streets sparkle with brightly coloured lights. Kids will love a visit with Santa’s reindeer (yes, real reindeer), as well as free hot chocolate and cookies at the busy Cooper Avenue Mall.Here are five top destinations to step into a postcard-worthy white Christmas of your own. Yuletide in Taos, as it’s known, marries Spanish traditions, such as the brightly glowing luminaries that grace historic Ledoux Street, with Mexican traditions such Las Posadas.

Door County, Wisconsin: Jutting like a finger into Lake Michigan, Wisconsin’s rural Door County Peninsula draws visitors in the summer for its famed cherry pies and fish boils, as well as more than 480 kilometers of shoreline.After appetizers at Thorp House, guests are transported via horse-drawn carriage down decorated streets to the White Gull Inn for the soup, main course, salad and dessert.Chicago, Illinois: The biggest city in the Midwest does Christmas big, too. Re-enacting Mary and Joseph’s search for lodging, carollers serenade an individual house, asking for shelter, with followers trailing behind holding candles.BostonBest of all may be downtown’s Christkindlmarket, which runs from late November through Christmas Eve and offers holiday shoppers handicrafts such as nutcrackers and ornaments, as well as traditional treats like potato pancakes, bratwurst and Laser Painting Lamp glühwein, a warm, spiced holiday wine that comes with its own souvenir mug.Taos, New Mexico: Cultures combine in eclectic Taos, New Mexico, a high-desert community that’s home to artists’ colonies and outdoor enthusiasts keen to ski at Taos Ski Valley.Fish CreekTiny communities from Sturgeon Bay in the south to Sister Bay in the north host events from gingerbread-house-making classes to holiday parades, but visiting food lovers won’t want to miss the progressive holiday dinner weekends, hosted by the White Gull Inn and Thorp House Inn in Fish Creek. Nearby Navy Pier go all out as well, with the Winter WonderFest that features more than 24 rides and a massive indoor skating rink