The Joys of Christmas Past (Part I)
You hear a lot of people say that Christmas is only for children. Christmas is indeed for children. First, the season is about the birth of child Jesus, our Lord. Second, it is simply wonderful to see the pure and unadulterated happiness in the eyes of children whenever they open gifts or see Santa Claus.
I also think that the statement comes with a tinge of cynicism and nostalgia. I think people say Christmas is only for kids once they have transitioned into adulthood. Now instead of receiving tons of gifts, you need to think about what toys to give your dozens of inaanak. Instead of just watching TV all night as you wait for Noche Buena, you are now responsible for cooking (or in some cases ordering) the food. Instead of just being a kid sleeping at the back of the car when you go to a mall, now you have to deal with horrific traffic on the road.
But I also think that the Christmas season brings back the sights, smells, and feelings of our own childhood. When we see our kids today opening gifts, we see ourselves as children and remember the happiness of our own Christmases. Reminiscing is perfectly natural and, in fact, is probably our motivation for doing all these with our kids today. We want them to create their own wonderful memories so that, when they grow old, they would have wonderful holiday memories.
That is certainly one of my reasons for insisting on following Christmas traditions with my family. One of these traditions is our family trip to the United States. Every Christmas and New Year, we would go to our house in the US and spend the holidays there. One of the reasons we go there is so we can celebrate as a family away from all the politics and the business of it all. In the US, we would just gather around the television on Christmas Eve watching movies; some might catch some sleep. But I make sure that all of us are awake at midnight to celebrate the birth of Christ with a simple meal.
This is something that every Filipino family has done over the years. The family always gathers for Noche Buena and, at the stroke of midnight, millions of Filipinos remain awake to greet each other, share a hug, share lots of love and, of course, eat a lot of food. No matter the economic status in life, Filipinos always put food on the table during Noche Buena.
Some have a whole roasted pig (lechon) or simply litsong manok (rotisserie chicken). Some families would serve fancy pasta or other noodle dish but the best has always been the sweet spaghetti that Filipinos are known for. Still some who do not have the budget for ground beef would use canned corned beef and it is still delicious! Jollibee has made Filipino spaghetti famous worldwide but it has been on our Noche Buena tables long before the fast food chain was established.
But the Noche Buena staple that triggers my childhood memories of Christmas are ham and cheese. Oh, what would Noche Buena be without keso at hamon? When we were still struggling economically, we could not afford hamon but we would always have keso de bola. Gustong-gusto kong pinapapak ang keso. Then I would make a sandwich out of it after. Later on, when our life got better my father would buy us hamon for our Noche Buena (the scraps are always the most delicious) and that has always been my go-to Noche Buena food. In my young mind, it is not Christmas if there is no hamon at keso. Today, that is still one of my most powerful memories of Christmas. In fact, just a couple of days ago while talking about Christmas with a staff I had a sudden craving for ham and cheese!
I have said this before, all the hassle and headaches of the Christmas season dissipate when your family is gathered around that table. You look around and you see faces that are smiling, some sleepy, others grumpy. But these are the faces of the people you love, the people you care about. They are the reason why your Christmas bonus is now all but gone, why you endured a two-hour commute, and why you pushed and shoved your way thru Divisoria. That is love. And that is the spirit of Christmas.
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