Wednesday, December 8, 2010
I GOT the chance to get around the city and I should say, Christmas is really around the corner. How time flies!
The major malls and hotels, houses and business establishments here have decorated and has been transformed into a holiday wonderland. Large and tall artificial Christmas trees decked with huge & colorful plastic decorations and flickering lights, giant lanterns that glows, artificial snowflakes in various colors, shapes and sizes, Santa Claus, fat or thin. Name it, interesting and multi-colored decorations, from reds to greens to blues to pink to almost all shades imaginable!
Back then it was just a few basic colors, red, yellow, green and a few others. Christmas trees were Pine trees or Norfolk Pines. And it brings out that woodsy scent from within. Decorative balls were made of breakable and delicate materials, lights were just plain and simple that changes every so often. And underneath the tree was the Nativity scene made of hard cardboards and a few "real" but meaningful gifts, wrapped with festive wrappers and bright, vibrant colored ribbons that weren't opened until the Christmas Eve. Hand-made parols adorn our bare windows but gives life at night when the bulbs are turned on.
The early dawn was chilly. We have to wear something warm and thatÆs when our thick jackets are finally taken out from the ôcabanö. The church was a walking distance from our house, so we normally hike and spend time enjoying the sights along the way. Simple yet very meaningful yuletide decorations adorn the houses and some shops that elicit the ooohs and ahhhs in the kid in us.
We get to listen to old, reliable but wonderful Christmas carols by well-known artist like Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, Ray Conniff and his Singers, Benji to name a few over the "phonographs" until it was time to let go and change them to cassette tapes and eventually to CD's. Some old Tagalog and Visayan recordings of Susan Fuentes, Pilita Corrales, Mabuhay Singers and a few others would add nostalgia, especially when listened and enjoyed at night sitting and just watching the flickering lights of the Christmas tree and have the benefit of the cold breeze.
Christmas carolers were far much better and real, in the sense of the word. They would come and sing, dressed up to the nines! Aside from the "donations", we would invite them for some light snacks. Unlike today, especially the kids, they don't even know the lyrics of the songs they're singing! Want an example? "And never let you sing, and never let you sing, and never, never let you sing (to the tune of àand heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and heaven and nature sing!)." Do I hear a chuckle?
Christmas Parties were shared with families and a few closed friends. Good foods that includes lechon (if we're lucky), roasted chicken, ham, humba or adobo, macaroni salad, spaghetti and several desserts like decadent and rich chocolate cake, soft and airy brazo de mercedez, sinful sans rival, delicious ube roll, fruit salad and many others. There would be group singing of Christmas songs, minus the videoke machine of course, for the entire family. And finally, opening of gifts, which marks the highlight, of which we truly treasure and look forward to, because we tend to receive the best gifts during this season from our family, godparents and friends.
Christmas was meant to be a time for love, for sharing, for caring. This is the time when we get to enjoy the togetherness of our family. To thank God, for His blessings, and to live for others.
Hoping I would be the first to greet everyone a very Merry Christmas and a joyful and prosperous New Year to all! God Bless Us All!
Website: www.potsnpans1976.weebly.com email: potsnpans1976@yahoo.com
Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on December 08, 2010.
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