Sorry for neglecting you lately my dearest site. Christmas season is always a busy season!
I'm a true blooded "probinsyana" thus I'm so accustomed to traditions - from respecting elders to celebrating events and coming home to the province wherever you are during Holy Week and Christmas season. Never to be missed is celebrating Christmas with the whole big family.
I remember when I was young while we were living in my grandparents' home, we were asked to hang our socks then every morning starting on the 20th. We will wake up with our socks full of candies or chocolates. We believed that they came from Santa. We are wondering why our elder cousins, uncles and aunties are laughing at us. We had no idea that they came from my Mom. We are so proud that we have been good thus we have received gifts from Santa.
Christmas carols have been playing beginning September. The air smells fresh and the wind is so chilly. You can't sleep without jackets and thick blankets.
The day before Christmas day, my lola, mom and aunties are so busy preparing for our Noche Buena. We always have fruits, asado, menudo, maja blanca, sopas, nilaga and ham on the table even if apples and hams are so expensive back then. Our apples came directly from the US since one of our uncles sent us. All of my immediate relatives from my father side arrives to celebrate with us. The house is so jam packed. There are non-stop chatting, eating and singing.
On Christmas eve, we all go to the church to hear the mass. Christmas mass then is being held at 11PM and will finish in time for Christmas. I remember wearing a jacket as we walk to the church since the wind is really chilly that time. After the mass, we will have our Noche Buena and chat till wee in the morning. We will have hot chocolate while chatting and playing.
We have to wake up early on Christmas morning since a lot of people will arrive to pay respect to our grandparents and we are excited to show our playmates our new clothes. Everyone who arrives is surely bringing something for us - usually food. Everyone also is required to eat. We as kids on the other hand are also required to go to our relatives' homes to pay respect to the elders as well. We were accompanied by our cousins to go to our godparents' homes to get our gifts. We are also required to eat so we end up going home so full. Every monetary gift we received (which is the usual gift) then were given to our Mom without asking her where she will put it. It's an SOP to give her the money. Everyone seems so kind. Everyone is smiling.
For the past few years, these traditions are fastly changing and fading beginning when the elders are saying goodbye one by one. This year, only a handful had visited our home. I didn't also go out to visit some homes as I'm so busy cooking for my visitors. I have not heard any Christmas carol being played. The temperature is quite hot.
Christmas today seems being celebrated just for the family alone. Celebration is confined on your own family unlike before that you think of the whole clan. Though there is still a lot of family gatherings but celebrations become shorter and shorter. Is this because of a harder life? migration? change of religion? or change of attitude?
It's quite sad to think that the true spirit of Christmas is fading. I still want my next generation to enjoy and celebrate Christmas how it should be celebrated - with the whole family and being thankful for the birth of Christ and for the blessings that have been received for the year. It should always remain as a reminder for us that there is someone who is born and died for mankind. I still wanted to see the elderly and children smile during Christmas day.
