CHENNAI: With Christmas just a day away, the city is buzzing with last-minute preparations. Florists are finishing up orders, bakers are working around the clock and festive details are falling into place. To understand what Christmas looks like this year, we speak to florists and bakers who shape the city’s festive mood, from flowers on dining tables to cakes packed into gift boxes.
For city florists, preparations begin nearly a month in advance. Maya Sureshbabu, founder of Fleur and Company, says there has been a noticeable shift this year, with more people choosing fresh flowers as Christmas gifts and for home décor, especially for parties and table centrepieces. “There is a growing interest in fresh flowers in Chennai. Many of our orders come from family members or friends living abroad who want to surprise their loved ones here with a Christmas bouquet,” says Maya.
Sunflowers, tulips and orchids are among the top sellers at Fleur and Company this season, along with several customised arrangements. White and red remain popular choices, often paired with complementary flowers based on individual preferences. Maya adds that there has also been an increase in midnight delivery requests for Christmas and New Year, and that a separate selection is curated for New Year celebrations.
At Floral Gallery, Karthigha says Christmas orders lean strongly towards classic festive colours. “Red dominates the palette, with chrysanthemums, proteas, berries, and roses in high demand. These are paired with leather leaves and green button chrysanthemums, as most customers prefer green and red colour combinations.”
She notes that floral décor is more popular for Christmas than for New Year celebrations. "Orders for table centrepieces have been steady throughout the month. When people host dinners at home, they often want a carefully curated table with a striking centrepiece, matching cutlery, and handwritten notes,” says Karthigha.
Berries have emerged as a clear favourite this season. They are available in red, green, white and light pink, and all four colours are in demand. Karthigha explains, “Using flowers of different shapes adds depth to a centrepiece. Fruits such as green grapes, black grapes, and Australian blue grapes are also used, along with antique gold cutlery, red candles, and personalised notes. Everything is customised and colour coordinated to suit individual preferences.”
The festive rush extends to bakeries as well. Jasleen Aaron, founder of Madras Dough Knot and Amber Gifts and Events, says many customers reach out for Christmas hampers. “Our vanilla walnut cake is a big hit. Brownies and giant choco chunk cookies also sell quickly. These are usually what people choose for Christmas and New Year hampers, which we customise according to budget and preference.” She adds that Christmas butter cookies and butter walnut cake continue to be among the most popular festive orders.
Winners Bakery in Alwarpet is also seeing steady demand during the season. “We offer a wide range of products, including buttercream and fresh cream cakes, speciality themed cakes, dry cakes, and pastries. For the festive season, we have introduced an alcohol-free, eggless plum cake in a 200-gram pack. This is offered alongside our time-tested traditional plum cakes, which are available as slices and in 250-gram, 500-gram, and one-kilogram sizes, with eggless options across all variants,” says Arun, owner of Winners Bakery.
Customers can choose from an extensive range of flavours such as Choco Truffle, Black Forest, Butterscotch, Red Velvet, German Black Forest, Swiss Cake, Choco Hungarian, Irish Coffee, and Italian Cassata. “Due to the high volume of orders, limited personalisation will be accommodated only on December 24 and 25, and from December 29 to 31,” he adds.