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Manan Kshatriya was eyeing the Christmas tree beside him, a sturdy and stout artificial model loaded down with colourful balls and tinsel streamers, with a silver star on top.

And yet something was off. Missing. Something had put a perplexed expression on the 29-year-old’s face. Then out shot his right hand, digging into a bowlful of candy canes, and away he went. Hanging them here and there, on every available branch before stepping back to admire his handiwork like a painter admiring his masterpiece.

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“This is the first Christmas tree I have ever decorated and the first Christmas party I have ever been invited to,” said Mr. Kshatriya who is from western India. “I have seen pictures of trees with candy canes before and…”

And, well, he thought the tree, one of three ripe for the decorating in Room E303 at Humber College in Toronto on Tuesday night, was missing the finishing touch. On a nearby table, meanwhile, a platoon of gingerbread men lay waiting to be slathered in red and green icing sugar and sprinkles. Hot chocolate, topped with whipped cream and candy bits, was making the rounds. Music, golden oldies crooning Christmas classics, filled the room while a slideshow projected Christmas images — trees and presents and Santa and families pressing in tight — on two large screens.