Media Release
Houston, Jan 6: With the heritage of Konkan Catholics as the main objective, HKCA hosted the 2019 Christmas gala, yet another successful event with much gaiety and pomp, at the Savoy Taj Hall in Houston on December 14, 2019.
The event began at 7 pm with guests arriving in festive attire and great enthusiasm. They were served delicious appetizers of chicken boti, chili chicken, quesadillas, chana and steaming chai as they mingled with members and guests.
The emcee for the event Eric Saldana along with Leslie Mathias, the HKCA Events Director, welcomed the gathering and kept them entertained throughout the evening. Carol singing, directed by Denver Pinto, sung in unique style by children in the age five group, along with adults was the highlight of the evening, as it came with the narration of nativity events in both Konkani and English which brought back nostalgic memories of famous landmarks of Mangalore.
Then came the adults’ turn to enjoy a game of unscrambling and singing the verses of Christmas carols followed by a hilarious game of dressing the snow man with rags and tissue paper. Next was a blind-folded musical chair game for the under 12 age group which brought out a fun and competitive spirit.
Emcee, Eric Saldana introduced Santa who did a merry jig on the floor, walking around tables and handing out candy bags and gifts to kids. The happy youngsters and their families also enjoyed taking pictures with Santa. The guests were kept on their toes throughout the evening with raffle draws and challenging spot prizes adding to the flavor and excitement of the evening.
Michael Moras and family then took the stage to express their gratitude about how HKCA made them feel that Houston was home away from home when they first arrived here from the Middle East. A buffet dinner prepared by Savoy Taj Restaurant was relished by all members after a prayer before meals led by Eric Saldanha.
Members and guests once again took to the dance floor to the rocking music by DJs Chris Pinto and Aaron Mathias, while some lucky winners walked away with early bird and spot prizes. The best youth dancer prizes were won by Rochelle D’Souza and Sheahan Prabhu.
HKCA sponsors, Naik Realty and Denver Pinto, were thanked for their generosity. Each family was gifted with a rich Christmas fruitcake baked by HKCA member Sandra D’Souza.
As the event came to a close, many of the members felt that the HKCA Christmas gala was truly a testimony to the spirit of Christmas and expressed appreciation for the effort put in by the core committee to make this event a resounding success.