‘Oh, the struggle of taking American gifts across the globe is a real deal-breaker. These fucking airlines should give us concessions on weight limits instead of ticket discounts during Christmas!’

‘True. When I was still in New York, one of my roommates got held up at the airport on her way back from India after the Christmas holidays because of suspicious baggage. She had to explain to the TSA why there were bags of spices and dried curry leaves in her suitcase. It was her Indian mother who’d put them in for her, but the TSA thought she was smuggling some exotic seasoning and leaves!’ I burst into broken laughter.

‘Smuggling spices! That’s a new one. But seriously, the best part is the joy on my grandmother’s face when I show up. That’s the real magic of Christmas.’ His eyes sparkle and I know he’s lost in a world of his own once again.

‘Couldn’t agree more. Here’s to the joy of going back home and creating more memorable holiday moments!’ I gulp down the remaining wine in my glass all at once.

‘Do you remember your first Christmas here in the US?’ Zayn asks.

‘Oh, absolutely! I was amazed by the snow. Back home, we never had any snow, let alone a white Christmas. It was only some of my rich classmates who would drive up to the hill stations who had seen snow.’ I could, if I pretended hard enough, almost feel the snow fall on my palms.

‘The first time I tasted eggnog, I thought what is this creamy magic?’ Zayn almost dances at the memory.

‘I made some biryani for a potluck in college once. While some of my American classmates loved it, some bullied me for over a year, saying I smell like curry,’ I recall.

‘Oh, I once cooked jollof rice, which, I feel, is the African version of your biryani, and my co-workers at the café I used to work at back then were like, “What’s this red spicy goodness?”’

‘We’ve both come a long way since then …’ I conclude.

‘Yeah! It’s been one hell of a ride and we’ve grown up for sure!’ Zayn agrees.

‘Back home, people just look at expats and NRIs and assume that we have the best life. They’ve no idea about the challenges and the struggles of making it here, let alone making it big! It’s like being reborn and having to start everything from zero.’ Even as I say this, I feel a sense of gratitude for my journey. ‘Zayn,’ I continue, ‘I just got promoted. I’m a senior product manager now.’