Christmas... a special holiday
It’s December and Christmas is 13 days away. Being here in New York, there is a big difference on how Philippines celebrate this holiday.
I was born and raised a Catholic. I was taught that Christmas is the time to celebrate Jesus Christ’s birthday. So every year, when I was back in Manila, we would celebrate by attending midnight mass, put up lights inside and outside the house, give gifts to our loved ones, have a feast and share your feast with friends and neighbors. In our house in Manila, we had a Christmas tradition that I truly love. My uncle would celebrate the Mass for the neighborhood. After Church, we go home and prepare the celebration. The family will gather around the Christmas tree. My uncle would lead the prayers, bless the family and food, read lines from the bible, and everybody will sing happy birthday to Jesus Christ. After that, the youngest of the family is responsible to distribute the gifts to everybody. This takes patience for that person, in this case my sister Ash, since she will be the last person to open her gifts. I find It amazing how good it feels to give somebody a gift, no matter what you give, and make them happy. After we spend time with our own families, we meet with our friends and share our food with them and their families. It is a big celebration where you will sleep the next day. It’s tiring but FUN.
Christmas is not about giving gifts, it’s giving happiness to others especially for the people you love. I tried thinking back if I ever expected a specific gift from my family… all I could think about is the whole celebration, the fun and surprises, the happiness that you see on the faces of your loved ones when they open their gifts. I cannot think of a time that I got disappointed with what I received…
It’s the thought that counts and it’s knowing that someone thinks of you.
This tradition is what I want to impart to my children… That Christmas is the time to celebrate Jesus Christ’s birthday. And since we cannot give our special gifts to him personally, we celebrate it with our family and give the gifts to the people we love… the gift of happiness. That no matter how small the gift is, it’s the fact that you remembered that person or that family on this special holiday.
I was born and raised a Catholic. I was taught that Christmas is the time to celebrate Jesus Christ’s birthday. So every year, when I was back in Manila, we would celebrate by attending midnight mass, put up lights inside and outside the house, give gifts to our loved ones, have a feast and share your feast with friends and neighbors. In our house in Manila, we had a Christmas tradition that I truly love. My uncle would celebrate the Mass for the neighborhood. After Church, we go home and prepare the celebration. The family will gather around the Christmas tree. My uncle would lead the prayers, bless the family and food, read lines from the bible, and everybody will sing happy birthday to Jesus Christ. After that, the youngest of the family is responsible to distribute the gifts to everybody. This takes patience for that person, in this case my sister Ash, since she will be the last person to open her gifts. I find It amazing how good it feels to give somebody a gift, no matter what you give, and make them happy. After we spend time with our own families, we meet with our friends and share our food with them and their families. It is a big celebration where you will sleep the next day. It’s tiring but FUN.
Christmas is not about giving gifts, it’s giving happiness to others especially for the people you love. I tried thinking back if I ever expected a specific gift from my family… all I could think about is the whole celebration, the fun and surprises, the happiness that you see on the faces of your loved ones when they open their gifts. I cannot think of a time that I got disappointed with what I received…
It’s the thought that counts and it’s knowing that someone thinks of you.
This tradition is what I want to impart to my children… That Christmas is the time to celebrate Jesus Christ’s birthday. And since we cannot give our special gifts to him personally, we celebrate it with our family and give the gifts to the people we love… the gift of happiness. That no matter how small the gift is, it’s the fact that you remembered that person or that family on this special holiday.
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