Exclusive: Christmas special with Rakul Preet Singh! Here's how she turned Santa for the kids; see pictures

This Christmas, Rakul Preet Singh embraced the true spirit of the season by giving back. The actress visited Cheshire Homes in Mumbai, an institution that cares for children with intellectual and physical disabilities, as part of the Bombay Times Christmas Carnival.Dressed in a red-and-grey striped cardigan over denims, Rakul arrived with boxes of goodies and instantly filled the space with warmth and cheer. She cut a Christmas cake, played games, danced to lively tunes with the children, and spent time interacting with teachers and caregivers.

Reflecting on the experience, Rakul said, “Spending time with specially-abled children touches you deeply. You can see unconditional love and joy in their eyes, and their smiles are priceless.”

When you see these kids, they’re simply happy. Their excitement over chocolates and gifts is so pure. We often tend to forget these emotions, and for me, this experience was a reminder of that.”Rakul said, “When you see these kids, they’re simply happy. Their excitement over chocolates and gifts is so pure. We often tend to forget these emotions, and for me, this experience was a reminder of that. This celebration with the kids was very special.”

‘I love everything about Christmas’Going down memory lane, the actress, who hails from Delhi, shared, “Growing up in Delhi, you’d see people dressed as Santa Claus around Connaught Place. We used to tell our parents to take us to CP to meet Santa and get gifts from his sack. They took us for a couple of years, and then eventually told us there’s no Santa (laughs). I used to really look forward to those gifts. I love everything about Christmas — the colours, especially red, and the food.

”Talking about celebrating the festival in Mumbai, Rakul, who was recently seen in De De Pyaar De 2, said, “When I came to Bandra, I was amazed. As a kid, I didn’t know about plum cake, the feasts, and many of the Christmas traditions. Now, it’s become a tradition to have a big feast with friends. It’s also my husband’s (Jackky Bhagnani) birthday, so now, it’s a double celebration.”

Rakul’s favourite Christmas memorySharing one of her fondest festive moments, Rakul said, “About five or six years ago, my closest friends and I decided to dress up in white and red, wear Santa caps and roam around Mumbai. It was just six of us, going to restaurants, walking the streets and picking up coffee. We were dressed like that from noon till 10 pm. People would stare and wonder what we were up to, but it was such a fun day (laughs).”