Laughter filled the lawn as children enjoyed games, music and food at the Children’s Christmas Party organised by The Tolly Club on December 22.
Santa's World was recreated at Tolly Club
A wonderland of games
As children entered Santa’s World, they were greeted with Santa hats. Stalls offering a wide array of fun activities beckoned the little guests.
The kids could get party-ready with designs inked on their hands and faces at the tattoo parlour, have their nails painted or their hair braided with colourful beads.
For the more adventurous, there were inflatable bouncers to test their rock-climbing skills and a trampoline to jump about.
Running across the club’s main lawn with sticks of cotton candy in hand, the children couldn’t wait for their turn to ride the toy train, going in circles around the middle of the lawn.
Kareena Basu with her mother Nita Basu
Kareena Basu, who was at the party with her mom and grandmother, said she “enjoyed getting a tattoo”. Mom Nita Basu said they had been members of the club since 2018. “Every two years we come to Kolkata from Hong Kong and we spend most of our time at Tolly Club,” she said.
Children getting clicked with the colourful macaw
Hits of the day
Tucked away between the rows of stalls and the inflatable bouncers were two of the biggest attractions — a picture corner where children could pose with a colourful macaw and a white cockatoo and get clicked and a bubble booth where the children could experience being inside large soap bubbles, only if momentarily.
There was also a white cockatoo children could pose with for photographs
Sharmistha Datta, who was seen clicking pictures of her four-year-old son Srihan inside a bubble, said she looked forward to the Christmas party every year. Alankrita Soni, who was there with her daughter and friends, echoed similar sentiments. “I really love coming here every year. The weather is amazing, the food is amazing and the kids have fun,” she said.
Srihan inside the bubble
Here comes Santa
Santa Claus is known to travel across the globe in his sleigh but at Tolly Club he arrived in a golf cart, jingling his bell so that the children knew he was on his way.
The kids went running to collect candies from Santa before queueing up to belt out their own versions of Jingle Bells on stage.
Santa came in a golf cart bearing gifts
And then began the real party with the kids grooving to popular Bollywood songs. The lawn turned into a riot of colours as brightly dressed children put their best foot forward. For Anil Mukherjee, CEO and managing member of Tollygunge Club, “It was a joyful expression of the spirit of Christmas”.
Sujoy Banerjee, Vice President, Tollygunge Club
“It is nice to see the children coming out of their homes and enjoying themselves. That was the intent of the event and it gives me great happiness to see them actually do that,” said Sujoy Banerjee, vice-president, Tollygunge Club.
