TRUE ESSENCE OF CHRISTMAS AND MY 2022 EXPERIENCE

TRUE ESSENCE OF CHRISTMAS AND MY 2022 EXPERIENCE

      Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year when everyone smells joy in the air and celebrating with friends and family. Christmas means different things to a lot of people. To some the focus is on gift giving, food preparation, decorating trees, cleaning the house, events to attend, sending out Christmas cards and the list could go on. There is nothing wrong with doing these Christmas traditions.

Also for many people, Christmas is a time of sorrow. Because a lot of them says that they don't have the extra money to buy presents for their children, family, and friends. Many are saddened at Christmastime when they think of their loved ones who will not be able to come home for various reasons. But is this the real meaning of Christmas? For me Christmas is a time to reflect on the Love of Christ. You see, Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of the Christ child. God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to be born and his birth brought great joy to the world. As a preparation to the birth of Jesus, Christian’s starts a 9-day mass every 4 a.m from December 16. Known as Misa de Gallo (or "Mass of Roosters" in Spanish) and the mass is known in Tagalog as Simbang Gabi and it is called “simbang gabi” because the mass begins and ends before sunrise. This is the most important tradition of Filipinos. When I was a kid, my grandparents and parents told me that if I complete the 9-day mass, my Christmas wishes would come through. So, since then I would always try to complete it, together with my mother and I don’t know why but I still believe it up until this time, quite funny isn’t it?

      Some may have planned to buy a new car or to move into their new apartment. But alas, all those are now but a pipe dream. Thus, we should count ourselves lucky to be alive to see this Christmas. This should therefore be a period of gratitude to God for sparing our lives and counting us among the living. It should equally be an opportunity for us to mend our ways with God so that w

e will not be found wanting. The spirit behind Christmas is that of giving and sharing.

      My experience this 2022 Christmas was really fun and enjoyable but a part of me was upset. It was fun for the most of time because I am celebrating Christmas with a complete family. Also upset because I wasn’t able to complete the 9-day mass and I kept thinking about the school requirement which stressed me a little bit. But overall, I was a happy when I realize that I was able to make a lot of people smile this 2022 Christmas. When it was December 25, 2022 at exactly 12:00 am, we are going to eat the food that we prepared and what we call in the Philippines as “Noche Buena”.

My family and ancestors prepare a certain kind of foods and has meaning if you eat it; “Pancit” is for long life, “Bibingka” is like a sticky rice cake and if a family eats it, they will not be separated from one another. There are also a bunch of sweet foods like “Macaroni”, “Baked Macaroni”, and “Ensaymada” and it belief that a family will be sweeter to each other. I always believed my mother with this kind of things so I eat every single dish/food in the table on Christmas dinner. That midnight we prayed as a family to thank Jesus then took a photo together and ate. In the morning we wake up at 6:00 am to go to church. 

     “I hope every people in this world will realize the true meaning of Christmas and open the minds of those people who can afford things easily so that they can help those who are in need”. This was my only Christmas wish this year and what I prayed throughout the Misa de Gallo. I believe that everyday should be considered as Christmas because giving, forgiving, loving and sharing is not only for a day but it should be forever. Belated Merry Christmas everybody!!