How was your Christmas, or better yet, were your "Holy Days" happy? Did it go as you expected? Did you bond with family and friends? Did you pose for that traditional picture by the Christmas tree? More importantly, did you create happy memories to last forever?
Families have different Christmas traditions. Some travel abroad taking advantage of the children's vacation, others check in to hotels to be free of cooking and preparing food at home. Some devote a day during the season to share their blessings with the less fortunate. However most of us stay home, big families take turns in hosting Christmas feast for the clan.
Way back then, the celebration with my parents and siblings revolved around church festivities; it starts with the misa de gallo and ends on the feast of the Three Kings. That's how it was in the early days; the Christmas atmosphere prevailed until early January. The festive feeling that's in each and everyone lasted throughout the whole season.
Our big party is the noche buena, right after the midnight mass on Christmas Eve. In our hometown, my parents had lots of friends that they always invite. Add this to the numerous aunts, granduncles and grandaunts around, so there's always a big crowd celebrating with us at home; and I liked that, "the more, the merrier".
My own family's tradition today is dinner together at around 8 o'clock on Christmas Eve. Afterwards, we pose for the traditional Christmas picture and open our gifts. That's when fun pics are taken, it's when we loosen up a bit and forget whatever life's challenges we have (at least during the season). There's a lot of laughing and kidding around that one just couldn't avoid being caught into it. As we open our gifts, we thank each other; some are even trying them on for size so they know if there is a need to exchange. We usually break up before midnight so our married children can spend noche buena or Christmas Day lunch with their spouses' families.
This year, my Christmas was wonderful; my two daughters and their families celebrated the happy event with us, the younger one and her husband who live abroad came home for vacation. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day together just catching up, enjoyed long meals; recalling family stories and sharing future plans. Though we've been going to the malls and eating out, still being at home; the place where they all grew up and had celebrated many Christmases gave us a memorable venue for great bonding time.
My son and his family couldn't make it; but because of FaceTime it felt like they were also with us. Before our 8-month-old grandson's bedtime, we saw him in his Christmas outfit: a white shirt with a picture of a penguin wearing a Santa cap and snow falling around it; a text is printed across:
"My first Christmas".
Then, we continued exchanging greetings.
"It looks like you're having fun, I see everyone smiling and hey, did you all plan to wear blue? And Dad is wearing a nice polo shirt, is that new, Dad?" My son asked. I myself put on a dark pink shirt but my older daughter asked me to change it to blue so that I blended in.
"Don't send our gifts", my son said: "I'll get them myself when I go there for business in early January, we'll celebrate Christmas again and I will bring your gifts then". That's how it went, everyone greeted him and his wife; everyone was thrilled with the baby, lots of ohhh's and ahhh's were expressed as we all looked at him when we passed my iPad around.
One day between Christmas and new year my husband's two married brothers in Vancouver had FaceTime with us as well, including their wives, children and grandchildren. We got to listen to their youngest, my nephew's two-year-old son who was very talkative. He kept saying: " I love you", as he was prodded.
Again, we passed the iPad around like they did as well, brother to brother talked, sister-in-law to the other; cousin to cousin, niece/nephew to uncle/auntie and everybody. It was fun, everyone in high spirits, they just had dinner while we were putting away the remains of our brunch.
What I miss this year was the annual FaceTime with my sister and youngest brother who both live in the US. Every Christmas, my sister and my younger brother and his family go to my niece's home in Fairfield, California and when they're all there, I get to talk to everyone of them. Nonetheless, it's okay since we chat often.
On Facebook, I learned a lot of interesting things about my friends' Christmas celebrations. For instance, I learned that one of my BFF, Agnes who now lives in New York cooks delicious ham decorated with pineapple rings and cherries. She post this ham prepared for the nurses in the hospital where she works.
I saw a college BFF, Bee, wearing a Santa costume at a party and when I made a comment: "Filipina turned into a Santa", she replied:
"Watch you chimney Ritz, if Santa stays with her diet, then she'll make it there, Ho! Ho! Ho!"
I saw a picture of my childhood friend having their Christmas dinner with the family members in costume. My comment:
"This reminds me of your family reunions where each and every family presented a production number. I knew it was a lot of fun for you all and I envied that as a child". And she replied:
"We still have that reunion, Rita, this is our 70th year". Isn't it great that they kept that tradition alive?
It is also interesting to see friends' homes well decorated; a friend in Alabama post pictures of her home, including the nooks and corners tastefully decorated for Christmas.
A lot of friends post pictures of their feasts while others shared their family pictures. I noticed that every family has their own delicious Christmas menu. My favorite is the one prepared by my niece, Angel who lives in Los Angeles. That porcheta looks so crunchy.
There is no doubt that everyone of my friends had a wonderful Christmas, if I gauge it on what I saw on Facebook. Tables were overflowing with all kinds of delicious food; the Christmas trees loaded with gifts and they were all smiling, I'm sure there's a lot of kissing and hugging as well.
For my family, our Christmas celebration is not yet over, even though my younger daughter and her husband went back home to the city where they work. In fact they spent New Year's Eve in our son's home. Here she is feeding her nephew, our grandson while she's drinking her red.
For want of a reason to go out, we again had dinner with my older daughter and her family only last night, we enjoyed yet another wonderful evening with yummy Italian and Mediterranean food. Over coffee and dessert, we just listened to the popular music (which only our granddaughter can sing along), played a group conducting Zumba sessions.
When we meet our son to hug and greet him "Merry Christmas", over breakfast, that would wind up our celebration on a high note.
Happy New year everyone!
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