Jingle bells all the way.

Tetseo Sisters with Alobo Naga on the sets of Jingle Bells (hiyo hiyo) Naga Fusion.

 If you visit Kohima in late October, you might just catch a strain of early Christmas carols somewhere. come November and the songs get louder. Most likely a Boney M number or even Jim Reeves. And then December would be a lovely mix of all things Christmassy. Red ribbons. Jingle bells. Gold and red and green baubles. Wreathes and pine cones. Christmas card displays. Cakes all packed in glossy paper and wraps. Oh! Lovely! And the town and houses all lit up. Scenes of Nativity put up as installations at nooks and crannies. Holly and faux mistletoe.
In Nagaland, December is jingle bells all the way starting with the Hornbill fever and reaching the climactic heights on Christmas day and continuing well into early January to usher in the New year. We love Christmas and caroling comes naturally. In church. At home. With friends. With family. A guitar. A tamborine. A fire. Around a Christmas tree. Tea and cakes.

The quintessential Fire.

So when Alobo of "Alobo Naga and the Band" fame called up one fine day and said he was free to record a carol with us, we were psyched. Our pick was either Auld Lang Syne or Jingle Bells but "Jingle Bells" was just meant to be and we rolled along with it.
We spent some time rehearsing and then it was a swift take, for Alobo atleast.
After a few false starts and tweaks, we had Jingle Bells (hiyo hiyo) Naga Fusion Version ready to go to the music editing room.

Primping up the Hero :D Alobo Naga

A puff here and a pat there...

 We got really ambitious and decided to make a simple video to go with it. So while Alobo and Co went off to stake out the location, we girls got ready to brave the Kohima Chill in our Christmassy bests while Mhaseve drowned himself in the editing room.

Male bonding over guns and Ukes.

Close to 5pm, we were finally on location and ready to shoot. A couple of laughs and serious takes later, we called it a wrap and moved on to a sumptuous Naga style dinner from the Kitchens of Hotel Legacy, Kohima. Post dinner and more coffee, the Dimapur crew left and we returned home satisfied with the day's accomplishment and looking forward to the final video.

With the Staff at Hotel Legacy.

Happily sharing with you all our Christmas gift to all our friends, well wishers and fans and music lovers all over the world. And Merry Christmas to you all. Enjoy! and Hiyohey!

P.S:
Jingle Bells went live on YouTube on December 11, 2012 and has garnered more than 38,000 views since then.
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