Christmas is about giving and coming together: Regena Cassandrra

For Regena Cassandrra, Christmas is all about “giving and coming together”. She reveals, “That’s basically true for all festivals, but Christmas is my kind of festival. There’s a certain vibe around Christmas, including the change in the weather.”‘I MAKE CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR MY CLOSE ONES’There is one Christmas tradition that Regena follows every year, and that’s making gifts for her close one. She says, “I don’t want to just buy something or get someone to put the gifts together. I feel there has to be a personal touch to the Christmas gifts. So, I make something for all my close friends, family and the people I’ve worked with. I also try to find an NGO that I can help. For instance, bags made by women from a mental health institute, with a small tree and a little soap inside, are part of my Christmas gifts this year. The point is to try and do the gifts myself each year and put my energy into them. I make around 70 to 80 of them.”‘I LOVE CHRISTMAS CAROLS AND GOING TO CHURCH’Regena has fond memories of going house carolling on Christmas eve when she was younger. “I was a part of the choir. We’d get dinner or snacks from the houses that we went to. I love Christmas carols and going to church. We’d walk around with the parishioners, and it used to be so much fun,” she recalls, adding, “Another fond memory involves our house cats (we had five!), which made it difficult to decorate the tree and put up the cottage. We had a real tree back then. It was about five feet. My mom grew it for many years.”‘I HOST CHRISTMAS PARTIES IF I’M IN THE MOOD TO ENTERTAIN PEOPLE’Talking about her typical Christmas activities, she says, “I grew up celebrating the festival, decorating the tree, wrapping the gifts, and doing artwork on cookies, among other things. I also host Christmas parties if I’m in the mood to entertain people.”‘DURING VIDAAMUYARCHI SHOOT, WE ORDERED A 10KG CHRISTMAS CAKE FOR THE ENTIRE UNIT’Even when she is shooting, Regena finds a way to celebrate Christmas. “I try as much as I can to finish my work by Christmas. But it’s not in my hands. When I did Vidaamuyarchi , I had to give up my December plans. I celebrated Christmas in Baku (Azerbaijan) during the shoot. I set up a tree in the corner of my room and got gifts for my staff. One of the local actors on set shared that his wife bakes well. So, we ordered a 10kg Christmas cake from him and shared it with the entire unit,” she shares.An at-home Christmas this year...“Every year, I try to make sure I’m in Chennai for at least a few days around Christmas. I’m happy that I’ll be home this time, too,” Regena shares. That said, the actress adds she’s not sure exactly what she’ll be doing this time. “I think my mom will drag me to church. I tend to decorate the tree, and my mom makes all types of really nice cookies, including gingerbread and rose. Maybe, I’ll host people over at home and enjoy a nice dinner with them,” she says.