Dong Nai youth showcase their creativity through Christmas colors

With the arrival of this December, the Christmas atmosphere has filled cafes, shopping centers, and every corner of the streets in Dong Nai. Especially at many cafes and community spaces, young people don't just come to check in; they are also excited to actively participate in decorating handmade items, contributing to creating a warm, lively, and colorful Christmas atmosphere.

A café on Tran Phu Street, Binh Phuoc Ward is decorated with a colorful Christmas pine tree and a snowman model. Photo: Minh Nhat

Christmas is not just a religious holiday; it is also an occasion to strengthen friendship, express creativity, and add beauty to the community, making the Christmas season more meaningful and intimate.

The appeal of Christmas decoration spaces

Along the central roads in the province, such as Pham Van Thuan, Nguyen Ai Quoc, or around the commercial center and Dong Xoai market, everything is shining brightly as Christmas is approaching. Cafés, gift shops, and small streets are adorned with typical red and green colors, creating a vibrant and fresh festive atmosphere. Not just a shopping occasion, Christmas is becoming a "season of experience", clearly reflecting the trend of enjoyment and connection among urban youth.

The Christmas decoration market this year started as early as late November. In bustling commercial streets like Vo Thi Sau Street (Tran Bien Ward) and Phu Thien Kim night market (Binh Phuoc Ward), many items such as artificial Christmas trees, multicolored decorative lights, baubles, Santa Claus models, and reindeer are selling strongly. Prices vary widely, from about 100 thousand VND for a small set of accessories like string lights or ribbon, to about 500 thousand or 1 million VND for an artistic light set or large Christmas trees (1-2.1m in size). High demand has required many stores to continuously restock to serve the public in time.

Nguyen Tan Hoang, owner of C.A.M. Cafe on Le Duan Street (Binh Phuoc Ward), shared: "The closer it gets to Christmas, the more sparkling the atmosphere becomes at cafes and along central streets. The cafe's decorations emphasize details like wreaths, scented candles, or drinks with cinnamon and hot cocoa flavors. When the space is meticulously cared for, customers easily feel cozy in the shop, tend to stay longer, and often return multiple times".

​Many handmade stores in Trang Dai, Tam Hiep, and Chon Thanh Wards, etc., are introducing eco-friendly product lines, including wreaths made from dry leaves, wooden assembly models, scented candles made from soy wax, and custom-designed 3D pop-up cards.

Nguyen Thi Bao Truc, who sells wool-handmade items on Nguyen Phuc Chu Street (Trang Dai Ward), said: Customers this year prefer personalized gifts that cause less waste and can be used long-term, such as Christmas trees knitted from wool or fine beads assembled into Christmas tree or Santa Claus shapes for customers to buy and make themselves.

"Buyers are not just interested in beauty but also want the gifts to carry a message and sophistication," Nguyen Thi Bao Truc added. ​

The fact that young people actively combine entertainment with social activities shows that Christmas is no longer merely a festival but has been "localized" to suit the local culture. These activities both create a positive impact and contribute to building responsible consumption habits, a goal local trade and service sectors are striving for.

​A more beautiful, more meaningful Christmas season

​In recent years, the Christmas atmosphere has not been limited to the religious sphere but has become a community culture anticipated by many segments of the population. The sight of agencies, businesses, residential areas, parishioners in particular, and the general public decorating and beautifying spaces together demonstrates the far-reaching influence of the holiday season. Notably, today's young people do not just wait for Christmas to enjoy; they actively create positive activities and make decorative items with their own hands.

Tran Khanh Vy (residing in Tam Hiep Ward), a young Catholic, shared: "Christmas is not just a time for taking photos or shopping. In the parish, we often volunteer, working together to make reusable decorations for the neighborhood or community spaces. Everyone wants to make the holiday season more beautiful and meaningful, not simply enjoy it".

According to Vy, many young people in the parish this year are actively participating in setting up the nativity scene and decorating the shared space with reusable, streamlined, and warm materials.

​Young people, in general, are embracing Christmas in a very positive way. Bui Tan Phat (residing in Tran Bien Ward) said: "I am not Catholic, but every year I join friends to clean up and redecorate my family and office space to capture the Christmas spirit. Every holiday season, I often go with friends to see the light displays, take photos on the streets, and visit some large parishes. The Christmas season is joyful because everyone is open and friendly. I feel the warmth and spirit of connection that the holiday brings".

​According to Dr. Vo Nu Hanh Trang (Dong Nai University, Tam Hiep Ward), the increasing involvement of young people in Christmas season activities reflects a dynamic urban life and the trend of building a new cultural identity.

"Christmas has become an occasion for young people to express their creativity, spirit of connection, and sense of contribution to the community," Dr. Vo Nu Hanh Trang stated.

​Dr. Vo Nu Hanh Trang believes: The most important thing is spreading the spirit of beautifying, enjoying, and making things meaningful within the community. When young people know how to utilize the Christmas season to connect socially, create spaces, and contribute to spreading kindness through small actions, the holiday season will carry a deeper value.

Young people need to enjoy the Christmas season in a civilized way, avoiding the short-term shopping trend. Experts recommend developing "consumption aesthetics" and choosing sustainable products. When businesses and young people act responsibly together, the festive culture will become a long-term value, not just a seasonal enjoyment.

The positive and conscious participation of young people shows that Christmas is no longer just a religious festival but has become part of modern community life, where everyone joins hands to beautify the space and foster the spirit of connection.

 By ​Le Duy, Thuy Tien – Translated by Quoc Dung, Thu Ha