Mumbai Man Lights A 67-Feet Tall Christmas Tree In Memory Of His Sister, With The Help Of Alexa

It's Christmas time, and here's a tale that's fit for the occasion. Douglas Saldana is a 58-year-old Mumbai citizen who has grown a 67-feet tall Christmas tree in a small residential colony in Worli, Mumbai, for over a decade now, which has grown into a local attraction.

However, this year he did something quite cool, when he was contemplating taking things to the next level -- he had the entire lighting system of the three-storey tall Christmas tree using Amazon Echo and Alexa voice assistant. Keep reading, if you want to know more about Douglas Saldana and his tech-savvy Christmas celebration.

A 19-year old tradition that honours his sister

When I first entered his building all I could see was the beautifully decorated Christmas tree that was nearly three-stories tall and measuring 67-feet.

I spoke with him about how he started with his Christmas tradition. A landscape architect by profession, Saldana mentioned how the Christmas tree was earlier in a neighbour¡¯s verandah -- nearly eight feet tall then -- and it had gotten really big for the verandah.

The neighbour then sold the tree to Douglas Saldana, who with his sister Trilla replanted it into their garden and have been taking care of it ever since. Every Christmas the tree grew larger and they would try to decorate it more and more, even when it was harder to reach.

However, in 2005, Trilla passed away after a long battle with cervical cancer. And one of her last wishes was to see this tree decorated so much that she could see it from heaven. Douglas feels his sister¡¯s presence with the tree and hence decorates it in her memory every Christmas.

Bringing the magic of Alexa this Christmas

I was curious to know how he brought Alexa to this decoration this time around. He shared that he has been decorating the tree like every year, and since a few years, it had become an attraction for kids and families every Christmas, not just in his colony, but for many outsiders too.

Last year, A representative from Syska LEDs saw this and gave some smart LEDs for him to decorate that could be controlled using Alexa app on his phone, as well as the Alexa smart speaker.

Kids changing colours using their voice

He calls the tree ¡®Magical Christmas Tree¡¯ -- that¡¯s also the name Alexa recognises. Anyone can ask Alexa to change the colour of the Magical Christmas Tree to whatever they want to, and it does it instantaneously. The lights connect with Alexa with the help of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The tree has more than 50,000 lights that glow beautifully at night -- all set up by his team of ¡®Christmas Warriors¡¯ that make it happen every year. The smart speaker also changes colours with respect to music to make it seem more intuitive.

Doing it for the kids

Douglas loves decorating the tree every year and making people stare at it in wonder. But he does all this at his own personal cost. This year, he spent almost Rs 3 lakh in decorating the tree from scratch -- including the lights and other electronics that help the tree light up. Every year, he sees over 8000 visitors who come from close and afar to witness his creativity.

Most of them are kids, and he keeps candies and gifts for them to make them enjoy the celebration. He says, ¡°Nothing can beat the smile on a child¡¯s face; it¡¯s priceless, so even if it is a massive dent on my wallet, and I even spend the entire January broke, it¡¯s their smile that makes it worth it.¡±

A lot more than just decorating a Christmas Tree

His initiative isn¡¯t just limited to the Christmas decorations. He conducts annual carnival and talent show and or the kids on 28th December, as well as a New Year¡¯s party for Senior Citizen in the colony, to make them enjoy the celebrations too.

His aspirations don¡¯t end here. He intends to start his own NGO soon with the name ¡®Santa Cause¡¯, where he wants to decorate vehicles as Santa¡¯s sleigh and take it to shelters and orphanages bearing gifts for all. He wants to help kids from orphanages to help them feel a part of the community and celebrations.

We need more people like Douglas Saldana who go out of their way to spread happiness within their community at large. We truly wish more people would honour their loved ones like Mr Saldana as well, and can't wait to see what new idea he implements in the 'Magical Christmas Tree' next year.