The moment our calendar turns to “-ber” months, we’ve already set up the lanterns and lights, cheerful songs with the familiar bells start flooding radio stations, and elves and reindeer decorations already stand tall in the mall front displays. There is no denying the importance of the Christmas season to us Filipinos, so much that it takes up a quarter of our year.
But after spending most of our months locked and tucked inside our own homes, one can’t help but wonder, what would Christmas be like while on quarantine?
Social distancing measures mean that the annual potluck party with your friends and families will only be a Facebook memory reminder this time around. The heavy EDSA rush-hour traffic that came along mall sales will be no more. Since we try to keep all forms of physical gatherings to a bare minimum, even our tradition of simbang gabi would likely transition to digital means. This would also mean bidding a “hope to see you next year” to fan favorites puto bumbong and bibingka which already became synonymous to the season.
Did this virus, as devastating it already is, also cancel Christmas this year?
This pandemic made an impact on different scales and proportions in our lives. It has been likened to a storm where we all aboard different boats. The privileged few are sailing smoothly in their cruise ships, safe and sound in the comfort of their homes. Most are left with paddle boats, barely making it through without an extreme amount of effort. While some couldn’t even swim, drowning beneath the huge waves of this economic, social, and health catastrophe.
Perhaps, this year we could take Christmas back to its roots and strip down the glamorous lights, the decorated pine trees, and the grand parties. Because the spirit of this season doesn’t rely on puto bumbong, the biggest sale in the malls, not even on the captivating lights that adorn our houses.
Christmas isn’t a season of shopping but a season of giving. Those privileged enough could shift from exchanging gifts with friends and give out to those in need instead. After all, it would take time for you to wear that latest branded shoe outside again. But a family may be of a great need for something to fill their stomachs. The saying “it’s better to give than to receive” can’t get any more true than this moment.
To some of us who don’t have the means to give, maybe this season calls us to love. Quarantine guidelines made it hard for us to connect physically. Months have gone by without warm hugs and kisses, but may we not let that hinder how much we show our appreciation towards those whose presence we value. We tend to undervalue how much a short text could remind someone that they’re loved and remembered. Isolation and the repetitive cycle of daily life tend to make us feel alone, but a short call can do wonders.
If there is one thing that this year has reminded us, is that life is unpredictable. What we thought was a week away from work became a seemingly endless period of staying at home. Unknowingly, we have met people for the last time, and we barely even remember what words we’ve left them with. May this season see the change of how we cherish every person and take in each moment in our lives. I learned to seize every opportunity that I have for tomorrow is never promised. A brand new breath of gratefulness has shown me how much better I could be, not just for myself, but also for the people around me.
Above all, may this season remind us that there is hope - that we should keep on working, striving, and holding on for a better tomorrow. The storm will eventually calm down. The sun will rise along with the colors of the rainbow. Just as we remember the child born in the manger, may this symbolize the rebirth of hope within and between us.
This year’s holidays may not be as merry as it used to, but its essence is far from gone. Beyond aesthetics and traditions, the Christmas spirit can be found in our hearts - in the giving, gratefulness, loving, and the birth of hope anew. And this spirit might just be what some of us need in these trying times.
Comments