CHRISTMAS IN OUR HEARTS

* Our Parish BELEN (The Nativity Scene) at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Bel-Air, Makati

'TIS THE SEASON

"Hark!", the herald angels sing, "Glory to the Newborn King!"  This is the line from a famous Christmas carol that was originally seen in a book of Hymns and Sacred Poems, written by Charles Wesley and was intended to be sung solemnly but was later on rearranged, altered and popularized for appreciation of the masses.  Whichever way we put it and in whatever style we want to sing it, this is one of the songs that gives us the message and true meaning of Christmas, that our Savior, worthy of praise is born.  Although many scholars believe that December 25 isn't really the birthdate of our Lord Jesus Christ, this specific date in our calendar was marked to annually commemorate a day in which our world was first saved and lifted up from sin by the coming of the Messiah.  In many nations, Christmas has evolved into a joyous and exciting occasion filled with gifts, fun celebrations and a myriad of jolly characters like Santa Claus, his elves and Rudolph.  In our country, Christmas is welcomed which much bravado and exaggeration.  We begin to prepare for and celebrate it when the BER months already appear in our calendar (so we start decorating as early as SeptemBER).  I for one, am guilty of this exaggerated excitement for the coming season. Who wouldn't when there is a tangible electricity on the streets, bustling activity everywhere and a myriad of merry sights and sounds filling the air?  Filipinos have always been delighted with this occasion and even start counting exactly a hundred days before it. When the BER months come you will see big companies start meeting in preparation for change in products, designing of corporate give-aways, reservation of Christmas party venues and allocation of budget for bonuses, food and gifts.  Before, the highlight of the Christmas celebration in the Philippines was centered on simple parols made by hand, selling of bibingka and puto bumbong (read: aroma of melted butter, cheese, salted eggs and coconut shreds wafting through the air), setting-up of miniature or giant BELENs at home or in churches, listening to Christmas carolers (and giving them loose change), enjoying the cold early morning air on the way to simbang gabi and Misa de gallo (ie, "rooster's mass"..Christmas Eve mass, Midnight Mass), wrapping gifts for our inaanaks (ie, godchildren) and preparing richly flavored Filipino food for noche buena (Christmas Eve supper).   Now, with the advent of new technological marvels, we (literally) have GIANT Christmas trees filled with metallic balls and colorful lights, robotic figures of Santa on display,  Bright LED billboards with Christmas messages,  Christmas carols blaring in the underpass or transits,  dancing LED lights on houses, trees and plants and artificial snow courtesy of Snow World.  Indeed, the Christmas celebration in Pinas has evolved into one big colorful mardi gras on top of our simple and meager traditions.  Even the coveted Starbuck's planner already has a place in the limelight (Hmm, I still have a lot of stickers to go)!  But, dear friends, before we drown in ecstasy over all this excitement and wake up in January with clogged arteries and a pile of bills, let us not forget the reason for the season, and that is Jesus Christ our Lord.  Let us all be thankful for He is the One who we owe our lives to, He is the One in whom we can confide in and He is the One who can truly make us say: ' TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY (for He is amongst us)!

                                                                                                                                                                                                          

dancing and singing with cousins (DJ Kroft, Marz,
Konyo, Ate S) and grandpa (Papa RG)

w/Mom, Dad, Baby Bro and Little Sis (in the tummy)

with dearest hubby, sHOTz MD

G FAMILY CHRISTMAS
I come from a family with an artistic flair. We have, to say the least, been brought up in a household that encouraged us to influence the emotions, senses and intellect of people in a significant way.  We love literature, film, photography, paintings, politics, aesthetics and most  of all, music.  Music was the highlight of every occasion.  We used to sing and dance for our grandparents and were included in the family performances of our parents, aunts and uncles.  Themed parties were always planned and prepared with much bravado, as if a major concert  was about to be shown.  At an early age, we either had to learn to play the piano or any other instrument and mingle with our cousins through interactive songs (on top of memorizing the multiplication table, rough-housing, swimming, biking and watching the Sound of Music, Merry Poppins and Annie over and over again).  Even the new generation (my nephews and nieces) has not been spared from this music extravaganza bug.  I remember when my nephews L, S, K used to perform for us, with a toy guitar, my uncle's old tambourine and makeshift drumsticks and the ceramic elephant as a makeshift drum when they were little. They even prepared tickets and fixed the chairs in the sala and dining hall so that we could all watch their rambunctious performance on the second floor balcony of our Makati family home.  Christmas celebrations were therefore not at all that different.  We all either celebrated in our family home in the City or in our own homes in the province but would hook up later in the wee hours of the morning to continue the singing, dancing, fun and laughter.  Christmas celebrations were always fun and looked forward to in our family.  At the start of the BER months, Christmas carols would be heard in our house playing over the transistor, tape deck, Karaoke machine and later on, CD Player.  I literally grew up to the tunes sung by the Gunter Kallman Christmas Choir.  Now that I am already married and have my own household, hearing their Christmas renditions would remind me of the cold and longer nights of the holidays with my parents and sibs, the hot chocolate that my mom would prepare for us, the abundance of food on the table, cupboards and refrigerator, the lovingly prepared noche buena feast, my dad's fascination  for Queso de bola, the midnight mass that we excitedly prepare for (with matching clothes, haha) and our lavishly decorated home (courtesy of my dad who climbs the banisters and house columns, tinkers with the lights, forms beautiful decorations with indigenous products, strings and a glue gun and the rest of the family who cut cloth, tie ribbons, set-up the Christmas tree and make suggestions).  The highlight of it all would be the opening of presents and the singing by our piano with my dad pounding on the keyboard until the wee hours of the morning. Although I miss these happy scenes, I am very lucky to have a husband who shares my love for music. We both play the guitar and piano and we both love to sing. Our weekends are spent caring for our pets, spring cleaning, going to mass and jamming sessions (he: playing the guitar, me: playing the cajon, both: singing).  Christmases spent with my hubby are also very memorable and relaxing because after the mass, noche buena and opening of gifts, we go into our laid back mode and sing not to the accompaniment of our guitar, but of our MAGIC SING!  Merry Christmas everyone! One Love! :)