‘TIS THE SEASON….

Christmas. I take this moment to have a break from my recollection and focus on the present. I used to think and feel that Christmas is a time for gift-giving, parties, celebrations, family gatherings, and merrymaking. We always made it a point to be home together for the holidays. I can remember the times when I would wake up every morning with a lousy hangover from too much booze and partying the night before. It was also a time when everybody in the family would be very busy buying gifts for everyone trying to outgive each other. It was fun and very exciting. Ahhh...those happy days......

That was 20 years ago. A lot has happened since then. My sisters went off to the US to seek "greener pastures", my cousins grew up and now have their own families in different parts of the globe and the country, and then my father passed away. I have to move back to Aklan to be with my mom. Indeed, in the past five years since my father died, Christmas in our home was never the same again. Gone are the gifts since there is nobody around except for my mom and I, gone are the family get-together for Media Noche for the same reason and gone is the merrymaking that we used to look forward to every year. Yes, we still have the Christmas tree and the decorations, we even have a modest meal prepared for the occasion. Christmas is indeed lonely when the family is not together. This I know because we have been brought up that Christmas is always family time.

This year however Christmas had a new meaning for me. I realized that it is a time for reflection, recollection and thanksgiving. It is a time to reflect on the past year, what we did, what we failed to do, and why. It is a time to recollect and prepare ourselves for the coming year - to ready ourselves spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally. It is a time to give thanks to God for all the blessings that we have received and to share our blessings with others so that we may be able to receive more blessings from Him in the coming New Year.

Indeed, what is Christmas without Christ?

Have a Blessed Christmas everyone....Let us not forget the reason for the season..