KARACHI: Every year around Christmastime Anthony Apart­ments, the doughnut-shaped tall beige and brown building located on the corner of Adam Road, has a huge Christmas star hanging in the middle.

Anthony Apartments gets its name from the St Anthony’s Church nearby. The Christmas star there is sometimes green and white, sometimes red, green and white with golden borders or tassels; this year it is red and gold with the same message that it carries — ‘Happy New Year’ — in the centre though it is put up there on Christmas Eve.

“There is a committee which deals with the star and its placement every year,” a resident of the building told Dawn. He also says that hanging the star, which also weighs a lot, is not easy. “As you can see it is attached to thick ropes on either side tied to pillars on the sixth floor. And it also takes around six people on either side to pull it up and secure it,” he says.

The committee responsible for having the Christmas star up every year for over 35 years now, which is also how old the building is, is headed by Simon Peter Randolph, who also resides in the same building. His older daughter Christina says that the star is now a tradition. “Over the years it has also bound us residents together around this time of year. The children also look forward to it,” she says.

“We make the star ourselves. It is entirely handmade,” Christina adds, saying that three members of her family are involved in the making usually. “First we build a wooden frame and then cover it with a cloth before adding the decorations which we buy from the market,” she says.

About how long it takes them to make the star, she says that they build it from scratch every year and it takes them around two days to make. “We are all working people and we work on the star after getting home in the evening, in fact after dinner when we find the time. Still, we work hard because it has to be beautiful,” she says. “This time it is entirely red with gold borders, which is quite different from the previous years,” she smiles.

About the exercise involved in putting it up, Christina says that yes, they do need extra hands then. “My family members along with some other building residents help. All the residents here are Christians so everyone is involved. Even our building watchman helps. And while the people are upstairs on both sides on the sixth floor pulling it up, there is my mother Silva directing them from downstairs. It has to be placed right in the centre after all,” she adds.

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2019