UNWRAPPING THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT AT THE ARRIVAL OF BER MONTHS

(By: Rona Samortin)

GO anywhere in the world, but nobody does Christmas the way Filipinos do. You can never celebrate Christmas too early when you live in the Philippines. It’s just how Filipinos are.

It doesn’t snow in the Philippines, no real pines for a tree, no chimneys for Santa Claus to sneak in and no winter season. It is so much more than the lights and gift-giving, Christmas here in the Philippines is all about spirit and being with your loved ones.

As soon as the month of August comes to an end, be ready because you will wake up to chain messages of Christmas greetings. The official start of Christmas in the Philippines is September 1, and no one really knows why we celebrate that early. Everyone just starts feeling that the time came by too fast, and before we know it, it’s Christmas. By this time, viral memes of Jose Mari Chan and Mariah Carey are now serenading everyone through social media and most people are already putting up their Christmas decorations in their homes, their offices, restaurants, public transportations, and also in shopping malls. Even radio stations and television pro-grams are already playing Christmas songs, making it feel even closer to the holiday season. As Filipinos, we can’t deny that our excitement for the Christmas season is already engraved in our culture and characteristics.

However, this is the time where it makes Filipinos who work overseas struggle with definite homesickness. I don’t think that there is anyone else in the continent of Asia who embraces and graces the Christmas season more than we do. When September comes, this signifies that the crows will set and start to get ready for the busy days ahead.

Filipino Christmas is cheery, colorful, lively, full of traditions and it won’t feel right if our famous “parol” won’t be hanging on every street and windows of our city. Parol is a very iconic decoration as it signifies our uplifted spirit during Christmas season. For Filipinos, it means hope and faith. It also symbolizes our triumph over darkness and our goodwill. Parols were originally used to light the way of churchgoers who wants to go to mass. Nowadays, they come from different sizes and can be made of cheap materi-als. Whether it be big or small, it uplifts our Pinoy Christmas spirit just the same.

In December, Filipinos still observe the tradition of “Simbang Gabi”. Once you get out of church, it will suddenly hit you. The bright lights from the Christmas decors hanging from every windows, kids cheerfully singing with their improvised musical instru-ments that are made out of aluminum cans and bottle caps, the delicious and soothing smell of burnt coconuts that is bibingka and puto bumbong, and everyone with the brightest smiles plastered all over their faces. The ambiance is perfect because you can defi-nitely feel the Christmas spirit lingering everywhere.

ADVANCE MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR FIL-GLOBAL FAMILY TO YOURS!!!