As Christmas is fast approaching, I decided to take a linear stroll on the events that happen when this holiday becomes our most awaited guest. Because once 'ber' enters, the countdown begins.
In September, drizzles of Christmas songs begin to fill the air. Malls and department stores play a few Christmas melodies to welcome the coming of Christ, together with the jolly 'Ho ho hos' of Santa. People start sprinkling their homes with tinsel and glitter. Bazaar organizers begin to advertise and approach possible concessionaires. Concessionaires begin to gather their supply of decor and other goods for the night markets they choose to join during the season, while buyers begin to save for the first batch of friends and relatives in their Christmas list.
Come October, the mood shifts to the spooky occasion of Halloween. Shops put their cobwebs, spiders, and skeletons as display. Costumes and face makeup are sold to mothers who bring their children along; and the scarier masks are usually for the fathers who want to join the fun, or teens to adults who wish to come as something more than the usual cute kid when they were younger. Parties are numerous, too, during Halloween. And it seems to me that homes go through an identity crisis at this time of the year. My friend’s home has the witch and the pumpkin patch by her doorstep, but once you enter, a Christmas tree welcomes guests with its bright lights. Then as Halloween leaves the home, and after Filipinos have done their duty in respecting their dead on the 1st and 2nd of November, the mood goes back to Christmas.
As November enters, Christmas songs are more and they begin to slowly take over all pop songs in stores. Many TV ads are changed to Christmas commercials. Friends and relatives begin to e-mail and tell their loved ones when they are to be expected back home. This is the time when Overseas Filipino Workers begin to miss home more. This is when the pinch of being so far away puts a tear on their cheeks. This is the time of the year when I feel for our OFWs, for this is the time of the year when they need to be a little stronger than usual. Filipinos are very family-oriented, and to be far from home is never easy for the Pinoys when it is Christmas. I honor our OFWs for their strength and heroic status they have: A salute to all of you.
Christmas indeed is not just a holiday. It is a season—a period of 4 months. And finally when December enters, Kris Kringle begins. This is a little game companies play. Little slips of paper with names of employees-- and employers, if they wish to join--are put in a small box that is passed around. Everyone gets a slip of paper, and the name we pick is our monito or monita. This is the person we secretly give a gift to every end of the week. Little rules such as 'something you can wear', 'something blue', 'something funny' are guides to what should be given every week to the monito or monita. And on the last day, usually during the Christmas party, we give our last present and reveal ourselves to be the giver of the gifts to that colleague. I like Kris Kringle. I think it's fun. It's either that or I just love opening gifts on Christmas (I never open any of the gifts I receive before 'the day'). Because when it comes to gifts on Christmas, I become competitive. I secretly count how many gifts my cousins, sisters, and brother have. And I smile with glee every time I see that I have more than what they have on their pile. But this is my secret, maybe now they'll find out. I never compete with the younger ones, though, since they always win anyway.
Christmas is the time for fruitcakes. I do not know how it ever started, though, that fruitcake became such a popular gift to give. But I think many who do get fruitcakes for Christmas just change the tags and pass the same fruity gift to the next one. I wonder how many fruitcakes really get sold on Christmas. Then there are the numerous Christmas parties. There was this one time I went to this facial clinic, it was a Wednesday, I entered the place and asked if I could have a facial cleaning. It was the first week of December, and the nice lady said, "Ay, Christmas party namin ngayon kaya serado na kami (Oh, it's our Christmas party today so we're now closed)." I looked at her, a little irritated, and said, "Ang aga naman (It's so early)." Well, it was... I went there on a Wednesday--December 8, but it was already party time for them. I think she got hurt with my comment since the next time I went there she did not give me a smile anymore. Or maybe not, she might not have even remembered who I was anyway since I went back not right away. Maybe she just had a fight with her boyfriend since she caught him with another girl and he confessed to her that it was the other girl he loved. So maybe her bad mood had got nothing to do with me.
Then...there is traffic. Filipinos are used to traffic, especially during the 'rush hour' which is at 6am and 6pm. But during the holidays, traffic can get a little unbearable. Everybody seems to be out every day. Parking lots are always full, cars and other vehicles stop moving in the streets, and everywhere we go will be a whole lot of people roaming around for the same reason why we thought of roaming around, too--Christmas. This holiday makes people want to stay out longer. I don't know if it's the Christmas breeze, but the festive mood of the Pinoys is heightened during this season. The Christmas lights fill the streets and salespeople wear Santa hats. The chilly wind fills the air and changes the mood. Sometimes it has its melancholic grip, but most of the time, I hope, it is filled with the scent of silent joy that steadily lingers in the air. Even the Catholics 'Simbang Gabi' is part of the fun, the 9 masses one has to complete, which is a practice to welcome the coming of the Christ, is also believed to make wishes come true. After hearing midnight mass or 'simbang gabi', little stalls outside the church are lined up to sell bibingka and puto bumbong to the church goers. Bibingka and puto bumbong are the favorite street food of Filipinos during the Christmas season. Then there are the numerous bazaars in hotels, villages, and even parks. Night markets are full in malls and other places. People go around with their Christmas lists, making sure they buy what they think their loved ones would like to get for Christmas. Almost everyone go through a Christmas list. I never did. I think I'm a little thoughtless, or maybe just a little higher than 'little'. I am not a big gift giver. But many Filipinos are. They panic when the long list they have of friends, family and inaanaks is not filled with checks or crossed out marks of names yet. I never have felt that kind of panic. Maybe I should. Someday, I guess.
Then the eve of Christmas comes. Family members and other loved ones gather for Christmas dinner, having casual chats with each other and waiting for the clock to strike 12. And when it does, besos and mano pos are exchanged with the greeting of 'Merry Christmas!' to each other. Gifts are distributed and finally, my favorite part--the opening of gifts-- but of course with the expected 'Wows' and 'Ooohs' for the little ones who always are excited with every gift they receive, although their delight for clothes seems more of the polite kind. Then my next favorite--Noche Buena--food. The quezo de bola and ham are served with hot cocoa or wine. The family again gather to continue their chats, singing, or whatever the tradition the family has grown up with. Then after the 25th, the festive mood of Christmas continues. Friends and families go to the beach, Baguio or anywhere out of town, or maybe just like Christmas, grand reunions with extended family members are observed. And the mood shifts to the coming of the new year. Now stalls are filled with fireworks and firecrackers for those who prepare to welcome the new year with a bang.
Christmas begins in September and ends on the 1st week of January, which is the day the 3 Kings arrived at the manger to honor Jesus Christ. And on this day we put down the Christmas tree, remove our belens, and take off the tinsel from the walls. We say goodbye again to those who came home. We welcome the new year with our lists of 'dos' and 'don'ts', hoping that this year we shall follow this new list of resolution we made.
All around the world we understand that the essence of this holiday is to give. There is something that happens to all of us when this day comes. I do not know exactly how things are in other countries, but in ours, we look over our shoulders and try to see to it that everyone enjoys this day. The Christmas lights that fill the streets and the songs we hear play repetitively in malls and department stores do not just represent beauty we see outside, but it opens our hearts to what may be the beauty we have inside. It is a holiday of wholeness. It is a holiday of giving. It is a holiday when we remember to be more nice than naughty. And it is the holiday we remember that the Saviour was born. The Christmas season is both festive and serene, both joyous and solemn. It is the time when we enjoy the several parties we attend, and it is the time when we pray and thank God for giving us His only Son--Jesus Christ.
I was born and raised as a Catholic, but I am not a very religious person, although I do believe in a spiritual life. And as a Filipino, I know that many Pinoys are Catholics and Christians. And maybe it is because of this reason that Christmas is very much celebrated in the Philippines. But the nice thing about it is that we share this holiday with everyone. It is a practice not just for a religion, it is a practice we do to show the people we love that we do care for them. It is the season when we remember that life is not just about accomplishments. It is about how much we value each other.
-Merry Christmas, Everyone.-
Have a good one.
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