It is the last month of the year, the most anticipated I think, well aside from February where you have Valentine's Day, the Christmas season is THE holiday most awaited by everyone not only here in Manila but around the world.
So what makes Christmas in the Philippines different from the rest of the world? Well for one it starts on the 1st day of the "ber" months which is September and ends when the Chinese New Year is celebrated sometime in February. That makes for a very long Christmas season. So what is in store for us this Holiday Season?
The malls are a buzz, every manufacturer who has a product has their marketing strategy all planned out after all there is extra money to be spent and people are happy in this joyous season of all.
For a lot of people it brings joy as they will meet with family members who they have not seen for quite sometime since they work overseas, or the chance to go back home to their provinces and relieve the time they were kids and enjoy those comfort food cook up by their grandparents. This I think is what makes people happy during these holidays. But that is not all that happens during this time of the year.
Christmas to others is the time of love or the showing of love, a lot of proposals have been done during this time (well maybe because people are in a festive mood and they can't say no) of the year. Some have bigger surprises like getting pregnant or giving birth, while for others it is the time to give that special gift to their special someones.
Christmas for children is very special as well as they can get away with most anything during this time, and oh those gifts that they have been expecting have been keeping them awake most nights. It is also that break from school work they have been longing for.
But alas, not everyone is happy during Christmas, there are those who are sad because they miss their loved ones who are working overseas and can't come home, while others lose their jobs or get broken hearted, and then there are those who find it such a hassle to be moving around the city due to the traffic jams and the crowded malls "everywhere you go."
I have had my share of sad Christmases, being away from my family, losing my parents, being out of work, such is life, but you have to snap out of it and think of the real reason why we celebrate Christmas.
For the past 3 years, the real meaning of Christmas has been felt by family as we have become Christians, it has never impacted me more than ever before. I know the reason we are celebrating is because the one True God sent His only Son to redeem us from sin and make us worthy to stand before God. Christmas has been commercialized for so many years that I myself have forgotten what it really means.
Today, my family and I prepare for Christmas, or should I say, Christ's birth, with our hearts and not our wallets. We ready our hearts and minds to receive our Saviour with love among us to share with others. It is our prayer that everyone have love in their hearts as they share their blessings this holiday season.
Let us all remember the real reason for the season, that we celebrate the coming of the Child in swaddling clothes and not the fat gentleman in red.
Have a wonderful holiday season!
To God be all the Glory!
