CHILDHOOD CHRISTMAS
Christmas is the most awaited time of the year back then because we would always go out of town to celebrate our Christmas party. It’s usual for us to celebrate Christmas because it is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, recognized as a religious and cultural event by millions of people around the world, mostly on December 25. For us Filipinos, Simbang Gabi is a devotional nine-day preparation of sequences of masses in preparation for Christmas practiced by Filipino Catholics and Aglipayans in the Philippines. Simbang Gabi wouldn’t be complete if there’s no kakanin. They said if you complete the nine-day sequences in preparation for Christmas, it will grant your wish.
When the “Ber Months” start, we start counting down for Christmas. We would decorate our house for Christmas and we would wrap gifts to exchange gifts. At school, it is traditional to have a kris kringle. It is very exciting to pick our Monitos and Monitas. We always decorate our classrooms too for the Christmas Party, and we like to have a small program inside our designated classrooms. It is fun to have games at our Christmas parties because we would have a lot of prizes to win.
I still remember the children singing Christmas carols throughout the neighborhood at my cousin’s place, even though Christmas was months away. Even then, the adults still enjoyed their number and gave them coins before they proceeded to the next house. I also remembered families travelling during the holidays, may be local or international and commonly, we Filipinos like to travel to some place that is cold which is why my family and I like to reside in Tagaytay for two weeks every December. I also got the chance to visit Japan for Christmas back in 2008 where I got to tour new destinations, ate Japanese food and got to experience snow for the first time. However, there are some families who just choose to stay at home and enjoy the feast they prepared for Noche Buena.
No matter how people choose to celebrate Christmas, it is always that time of the year where families get together and be complete. It is the time where OFWs get to enjoy being back home or being with their family on their travels and it is also the time where kids wake up with anticipation of opening gifts and playing games. For some, it is the time where loved ones who passed away are also remembered. Either way, the cool breeze of Christmas reminds us to keep warm and to always appreciate spending time with our loved ones.
By: Angeline Marie C. Castillo