KARACHI: It is a cool Saturday morning, the beginning of the last weekend before Christmas. Christian families are out for shopping. The eatables for the big day are left for the last minute. The gifts for friends are done already. Today they are looking for cheerful wearables and decorations.

With hardly any of the Christmas memorabilia being made in Pakistan, many turn to the thrift or second-hand markets. But other than an odd item or two, there is nothing of interest to be found at the biggest Lunda Bazaar at Lighthouse.

Still, two blazers swaying in the breeze on hangers at one of the shops lining the nullah, named Stylo Dress House, catch attention. One dark blue and the other red have happy Santa Claus heads on them. Arqam, the young salesman there, informs that such things come mixed in the lot they get in containers from England and America. He is asking for Rs2,500 for each of the coats.

Many shops ahead, one also finds a cute little fleece Santa coat for only Rs200. That’s pretty much it for Lighthouse.

Santa hats, stockings, reindeer horns and plastic Christmas trees are available in Bohri Bazaar and a few places in city

But things turn 180 degrees at Bohri Bazaar where you get to see, and buy, everything to do with Christmas, from the plastic Christmas trees, plastic and cardboard wreaths and the pretty tree ornaments and lights. All are made in China, mind you.

Those who already have the Christmas trees at home have also saved the ornaments for reuse. That’s the wise thing to do in these times of inflation where a plastic tree which used to cost Rs2,000 a couple of years back is now double the price and a six-foot-tall tree costs Rs20,000. You have the same varieties of green tree, white tree and snow on green tree.

Meanwhile, the best bargains for Christmas, which are also cute, are the ones that you can find in the first lane after the decoration shops next to the popular chat and gol gappay eatery.

Mohammed Irfan there has Santa hats with the white pom poms, big decorative stockings for hanging and filling up with little toys and goodies, reindeer horns with bells, full Santa suits and Santa dresses for boys and girls with the white plush fur trimmings on the borders and cuffs, the black belt with buckle. He even has red fleece and flannel Santa knickers with the fur trimmings.

Everything is very reasonably priced. The Santa suits cost from Rs2,000 to Rs2,500 depending on their quality. The Santa girl dresses are for Rs1,200. The hats, stockings, etc, cost Rs100 each. There are also shiny, blingy Santa hats available at the same price.

“These things rarely come in the lot from other countries but I am collecting them the entire year for Christmas,” said Irfan. “I have been selling these items here around this time of year for 15 years now,” he beams.

The Santa hats, stockings and reindeer horns are also available at a few other places in the city such as outside the main gate of Gora Qabristan, or the Christian cemetery, and at a couple of stalls in Clifton and Defence.

The stalls also have other stuff, too, such as the plastic Christmas trees, decorative ornaments and greeting cards though everything is almost double the price of what one can find at Bohri Bazaar, which is the actual wholesale market for these things as they are not even available in such quantity or variety at the Paper Market on Hassan Ali Effendi Road.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2024