Thoughts on Christmas

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THOUGHTS on CHRISTMAS by Marlene Balotro, Texas, USA

Christmas day is such a bitter-sweet holiday. Everyone is so drawn into the spirit of giving, of loving and of sharing. Yet, as an expat who is celebrating Christmas away from my Filipino family, I can’t help but feel sadness.

I miss the chaos and festivities that starts as early as September. Everywhere you go, you would hear the endless stream of Christmas songs on the radio, and out-of-tune Christmas carols being sung by street carolers. Everyone is so hyped and excited to get that cheapest sale in the market just to squeeze everyone’s name in their list. Christmas decors are hung everywhere you turn, coupled with undeniable delight in everyone’s faces. It appears that everyone’s problems magically disappear. And, of course, who could forget the mouth-watering smell of freshly baked puto bumbong and bibingka with slowly melting butter on top.

As far as I could remember, Christmas in the neighborhood I grew up in Manila starts as soon as my next door neighbor brings out his huge stereo speaker to play some OPM Christmas medleys. I remember hating it because he would start playing the cassette tape as early as 6 a.m. I am still not sure if he has a hearing problem, or he was just trying to impress everyone in the neighborhood, but he would always put the volume up to as high as it could go. But as I grew up, I looked forward to his routine. Somehow, his OPM songs have become a huge part of my Christmas tradition. It signaled the coming of my all-time favorite holiday. This, however, is followed by a dreaded family activity – house cleaning and decorating. I remember pulling out a number of Christmas decors from the attic that had piled up all those years. This particular family activity would drag well into the night. My mom loves Christmas. I think that is why I love it so much, too. After cleaning and decorating the house, which typically ended around midnight, the house looked very festive, inviting and warm. And there I was, tired to my bones.

Each year for the past ten years, I would yearn for those Christmas preparations that I used to hate so much – the OPM songs, the housecleaning, and the shopping for gifts… So I try to relive them. Thank God for YouTube, which allows me to hear some OPM Christmas carols. Last year, in my attempt to share my own Filipino Christmas experience with my children, I made a Christmas lantern from craft sticks I bought from Hobby Lobby. I glued some clear plastic around it and… bam! It’s my very own parol. But my heart suddenly sank when my then 5-year old daughter called it a piñata. Okay, I must admit. It somehow looked like the piñata being sold at the corner of Cage Blvd and Business 83, but it was my very own masterpiece. And so, I proudly hanged it in front of our house. Unfortunately, no one told me how strong the wind gust is in Texas. After just a few days, I saw my very own parol still hanging by the front door, but almost completely shattered.

As time went by, my family and I have created our very own family Christmas tradition and preparations. They may be far from what I grew up in, but they will do for now. I still dream of bringing my children back to the Philippines for them to see that the places and people I often tell them about are real! In the meantime, I will continue to hone my creative skills and try to bring a little bit of Filipino Christmas in Texas.

THOUGHTS on CHRISTMAS – By Lorna Raborar Corres Bueno, Australia

Most of us may have similar definition of what Christmas is about. But our own specific situations will actually provide a much more grounded definition of the reality of Christmas in our lives today, now, away from our homeland. Arriba Filipino would like to share some of it as they are shared from among us. Be encouraged, challenged, humbled and be made more aware of the Eternal One who gifted us Christmas.

Christmas to me is …remembering that Jesus, the Son of God, was born as a man so He could die so a sinner like me could get right with God and live life abundantly. Now i am in Australia because of His goodness and grace. Our God is indeed an awesome God!

THOUGHTS on CHRISTMAS –By Teresita Sjogren, Mt. Vernon, Washington

I am going through God’s winepress right now. A dear friend has 3 to 6 months to live due to terminal illness. I praise God for His strength in sustaining her in herADL(activity of daily living). I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year. Let us celebrate Jesus birth, “He is the reason for this season.”

THOUGHTS ON CHRISTMAS By Grace F. Roa

Christmas comes every year and will go on forever from generation to generation. And along with Christmas belongs the keepsakes, memories and the practices, traditions and the customs we so gotten used to. Those humble, everyday things a mother treasures, and cherishes will always linger forever in our hearts.”

Always we think of Christmas as as time of the year we expect too much from ourselves and others.  We crowd the malls-impulsive and rushed buying of presents.  We even crowd into it the long arrears of being kind, generous and patient to everyone.  We’re seemingly trained to express the arrears of the whole year of kindness, generosity and patience only during Christmas.

This year I made a vow with my Creator to take my Christmas a little at a time and spread it the whole year through.  I choose to spread kindness, generosity and being patient along with the other fruits of the Spirit all year round.  I want to wake up one morning and think out loud “ so what , this is the season to express everything good and wonderful to somebody!”  Let’s be overtaken by so much giving and sharing of all the fruits of the Spirit.  After all, the reason for our living is in giving every part of our heart to HIM – the very reason why we celebrate Christmas- CHRIST Himself!