We took to the streets of Colombo once again to join the merriment of the season and check out more Christmas decor on display. So here’s round two of our city roundup on the impending festivities. 1. Mount Lavinia Hotel The decor at Mount Lavinia hotel this year is grand and unique. Their attempt to spread joy this year is really impressive. The decor this season seemed to be planned down to every minuscule detail and it is designed with a Nutcracker theme. Sporting the festival colours including green, red and gold, the decorations were elaborate, intricate and vibrant. Commenting on the Christmas theme Mount Lavinia hotel Junior Executive - Personal Relations Shallen Dirckze said: “We have arranged the decor to depict the various aspects and scenes from the Nutcracker story, this paired with the vintage look of our hotel is the perfect majestic Christmas story.” He further added: “We are further working on a Christmas tree made purely out of the plastic waste collected within our hotel premises. We are planning to put this tree up this Christmas season, to ensure that the plastic waste is responsibly reused.” 2. Taj Samudra Hotel Colombo [gallery columns="2" size="full" link="file" ids="15339"] Definitely the most hospitable of the bunch, Taj Samudra is really embracing the season with a plethora of fun and seasonal activities for everyone. We spoke to the most helpful Diganta Chakraborty who runs the festivities desk, and he let us in on the endless line-up of Christmas activities available to all, not only on Christmas day, but well before and way after Christmas. A fantastic addition to Taj’s already rather festive looking décor, complete with an enormous, yet absolutely gorgeous Christmas tree already surrounded by actual presents, is their Gingerbread house. The Gingerbread house was a real treat, filled with adorable little trinkets all representative of what Taj’s many themed restaurants have to offer for the season. Taj Samudra is really spreading the love with their inclusive celebrations, which all then eventually leads up to the biggest party in town; literally, as they happen to have the largest space for a New Year’s bash. 3. OZO Colombo [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="15342"] With a silver, gold and red colour combo, OZO put up a clear competition to all its fellow city decors this year. With a series of seasonal events OZO is really spreading the Christmas spirit. The hotel ceiling was graced with breath-taking stars, baubles and Christmas bells. The mini Santa’s workshop displayed in the lobby was a real treat. It is colourful, adorable and festive, everything you are looking for in Christmas decor. 4. Mövenpick [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="15343"] With golden reindeer and a gorgeous Christmas tree, Mövenpick was certainly glowing with the holiday spirit. The Christmas tree displayed in the lobby with colourful baubles, fairy lights and a display of small presents at its foot was a majestic sight. Made of twisted wired and fairy lights, the reindeer were clearly the highlight here. They were elegant, festive and absolutely eye-catching. With a festive yet understated aura, Mövenpick was one of our favourites in the Christmas decor department this year. 5. Jetwing Colombo Seven [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="15340"] Jetwing Colombo Seven is on top of their game this year. With subtle decor in the pool area and a beautiful wooden Christmas tree, they are celebrating with style. Yes that’s right; they have a tree made of wood this year. To keep up with the traditional festival outlook and to make it eco-friendly, they have gone with an understated look for their decor. Jetwing 07 is interested in decorating the hearts and souls of each member this year. Commenting on the Christmas spirit, Jetwing 07 General Manager Rukmani Fernando stated that: “Christmas began well in advance at Jetwing 07. Making sure we spread love and remove bitterness from our hearts, this holy season. We believe the most important thing to spread this holiday season is love and kindness.” “The eco-friendly theme for the décor was meant to give another worthwhile message; we thought it was impractical to spend a lot on our decor, destroying our beautiful planet in the process. So we have gone with a natural low-budgeted approach,” she added. By Pujanee Galappaththi and Dimithri Wijesinghe Photos: Saman Abeysiriwardena, Krishan Kariyawasam and Pradeep Dambarage