A Christmas Like No Other

Ei, pips! I’m back in Manila.

It’s been quite a while, huh! For more than two weeks, I was stuck in my island-hometown (Capul, N. Samar), re-bonding with family, friends and neighbors. I have not spent Christmas and New Year there since probably six years ago, so my presence really meant a lot of catching-up.

That meant primarily two things: getting a daily dose of liquor from parties all over town and making-“tambay” in the neighborhood “tong-its” and “chismisan” venue. I tell you it was fun.

But while most of my time in the island was admittedly spent in hedonistic pursuits, I did try to put a deeper meaning to my Christmas celebration. This I did by organizing a caroling-with-a-twist, where instead of soliciting funds from those we sing to, we gave modest gifts instead.

What we handed out wasn’t really much, but I know our recipients, who were mostly the elderly, truly appreciated them. The vibrant smiles we triggered and the appreciative prayers we received confirmed that.

And for me and the rest of the young singers I asked to join me, it was a heart-tugging experience, an emotional ride to a reality we didn’t realize, exists in our place. So as we sang the standard Christmas hymns with more meaning than usual, I’m sure we all realized that despite the many challenges we face, we still are a lot more blessed than some of our brethren.

With that, I guess I could say that I did have a complete Christmas vacation.