Christmas
merrymaking is for children so I recount my childish memories of Yuletide.
I am not going to talk about Christianity or religion but turn back
the calendar to my first decade - my happiest first ten years on earth
when I enjoyed the true spirit of Christmas.
I was so happy
to hear my parents tell the story that the Savior of the world was
born in a little town and laid with swaddling clothes in a manger.
The story inspired me in the sense that when I first saw light of
world I was not lying on a manger but on a bamboo bed with soft pillow
and diaper. It taught me the first lesson of life that it doesn't
matter how and where we are born - what really matters is why we are
born.
I knew that Jesus
Christ was born to save the world so I knew I was born to rejoice
that my world has been saved. In fact, I lived a happy child life
with nothing to envy of because all the boys and girls in the neighborhood
were as barefooted as myself and no one received expensive gifts from
Santa Claus. Our parents then were not stupid to fool us about the
fictitious story of Santa Claus so we expected nothing to be placed
in our socks, which was logical because we had no socks anyway. Sometimes
my cousins and I got lucky when an uncle from Manila visited us and
gave us one peso gift each. I guessed Jesus had the same experience
during his childhood years in Egypt - no toys from Santa Claus and
no gifts from His ninongs and ninangs.
My appreciation
of Christmas depreciated, as I grew older and wiser. I began to feel
sorry when I learned that my parents did not do their duty of wearing
Santa Claus outfit and give us gifts on Christmas day. I began to
envy those kids who received nice toys from their parents and godparents.
I started to worry because I had no money to buy gifts for my loved
ones especially to my special someone. In short, I began to feel lonely
when I received nothing on Christmas Day.
My depreciated
Christmas spirit changed when I became a parent. I had to tell the
story of first Christmas over and over again to my two children. I
also had to tell them about Santa Claus and had them prepare their
socks for his gift giving routine. I had to stop the routine once
my daughter told me that it was not Santa Claus who placed the doll
in the sock but me. I never played the role of Santa Claus for quite
sometime but I look forward to playing it again when I have my own
grand kids.
The Christmas
cycle goes with the cycle of life. The stories of the baby Jesus and
Santa Claus will be told and retold as long as new babies are born.
It's a nice story but sometimes the true meaning of Christmas is misunderstood
especially at this time when the focus is no longer on the baby in
the manger but on the baby dolls and toys to be wrapped as gifts.
The story loses significance when the child spoiled with all kinds
of expensive gifts goes astray and becomes a burden to society.
Looking back,
I realize that material things do not make a merry Christmas. I was
not lucky to be born materially rich but I am happy it did not make
me materially greedy. I don't have to worry or be sorry about my finances
because all I have is just enough to survive the winter, the spring,
the summer and the fall. I don't forget the story of the baby Jesus
who grew up as my greatest teacher and taught us that He is the way,
the truth and the life. I hope the same spirit is passed on by my
children to the generation next to them.
