What Does Christmas Mean To You?
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Or is it? If you’re not feeling the holiday spirit, you’re not alone. December doesn’t always have the same magic as before; almost as if we’ve outgrown it.
In the Philippines, we’re considered to be the place that celebrates Christmas the longest. You’ll start to hear Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is you” as soon as we step foot into September. Aside from the fact that it will always be part of a musical Christmas repertoire (thanks to our songbird supreme for that iconic song, by the way!), the Philippines also has a lot to offer when it comes to unique Christmas traditions.
While everybody knows about Christmas lanterns, our country has Parols, an ornament that usually comes in star shapes, mostly made of recyclable materials, that make the city much brighter at night than usual.
Our country is also home to a huge Catholic population and lots of Filipinos attend a nine-day series of night masses leading to Christmas, believing it brings luck to your wishes. I definitely believed this as a kid but who knows? Maybe it’s a matter of faith, after all.
My favorite tradition is the noche buena on December 24th where we stay up late at night and wait for the clock to hit midnight to welcome Christmas day! Most families have scrumptious dishes.
From a religious standpoint, it’s a way to celebrate the birth of Christ but it’s also when families and friends gather to feast and enjoy the sense of togetherness.
As I navigate adulthood, the Christmas magic fades. No more Santa Claus who will reward me and reinforce me to be good– it’s now a moral responsibility. The joy of togetherness sometimes turns into a reminder of others’ loneliness. Amidst the festivity, there’s a harsh reality of fear and suffering in some parts of the world. There are people who fear for their own lives and their loved ones’ and it’s difficult to look past.
As a kid, I saw the world as a snow globe, and now I face this complexity. Christmas needs a new meaning for me, beyond culture and beliefs.
It doesn’t feel as exciting to me anymore, not because I grew up from being a Spongebob to becoming a Squidward. It’s because I know what this season personally means to me– it’s about spreading love, cultivating gratitude, rekindling hope, and believing in the goodness of others. Cheesy, maybe, but despite everything, I’m grateful for love, a great place to work with amazing people, to do things that I love, and to hope for a better tomorrow.
So, I don’t get excited anymore because, if this is what Christmas means to me, then it is Christmas every day. How about you? What does Christmas mean to you?
