When I was small, Christmas was one of my favorite occasions every year aside of course from my birthday. The presents, the blinking lights, the cold breeze, the food, the jingles, and yes, the festive mood, all of this gave me the feeling of innocent bliss. And since Christmas only comes once a year, the long wait always added a feeling of thrill in me.
As I grew up, the spell that used to mesmerize me about Christmas started to wane. I think it all started with the onset of financial problems in our family that limited us from having a celebration that was well, fit for Christmas. You know, the kind of celebration kids always thought about -- lots of foods and gifts. I think during that time, that was during my elementary years, my parents were having a hard time with money due to hospitalization after hospitalization of my younger siblings. Christmas during those years were quite sad and cold because not even a simple lantern hanged on our house's front window.
The other thing that made me lost my interest in Christmas was upon learning that Santa Claus doesn't really exist. For years I had been living in the fantasy that Santa makes a list of little boys and girls' names all over the world and that he's checking it twice as what a certain Christmas jingle says so that those who have been good for the rest of the year will receive a gift from him. I thought that the Santa (should I put an "s" on the last letter?) that I always see in department stores during yuletide season waiting for kids to ask him for a picture taking was real. I later found out that that Santa was just for commercial promotion and that he worked as a security guard on the other days. Frustrating it was for me to learn the truth that the old stout man with immaculate beard and mustache and wearing red suit while saying "ho ho ho!" on his sleight pulled by flying reindeers was just a creation of adults' creative mind. But those were childhood days, innocence was still pure and undefiled. Days were we could be easily convinced about fantastical things without evidences. Sometimes I'd rather wish I just stayed that way, believing easily in things that were really fiction, rather than be awaken to the harsh and cruel reality of this world.
Lately, I joined our college's community extension service program and my first exposure to the community we are supporting was when we had our gift giving activity and medical mission for the indigents in that area. They say that Christmas time is a time for sharing because God himself gave his only begotten Son to us, Jesus Christ, in order to save the whole humanity. Well, The Nativity was really a beautiful story but I didn't get the real essence of it not until we went to Brgy. Tanao, Batad for the said activities I mentioned. It was the first time I did some humanitarian act and yes, it was a wonderful experience. I just want to emphasize on the thing about "sharing". I learned that to share not what you abundantly have but the one you have little of was amazing. It made me feel that a part of me went to the thing I shared and that part of me lifted that receiver's spirit because of the genuine smile I beheld on his/her face. Now I know what Jesus felt when he gave himself to us and with that, a new "magic" suddenly enchanted me about Christmas. It is the magic of self-giving, of unselfishness, of genuine fraternal love. I lost my faith on Christmas when I was kid, now Christmas has redeemed itself to me.
Merry Christmas everyone and let us continue to spread peace, love, and joy to the whole world! God bless us all.
As I grew up, the spell that used to mesmerize me about Christmas started to wane. I think it all started with the onset of financial problems in our family that limited us from having a celebration that was well, fit for Christmas. You know, the kind of celebration kids always thought about -- lots of foods and gifts. I think during that time, that was during my elementary years, my parents were having a hard time with money due to hospitalization after hospitalization of my younger siblings. Christmas during those years were quite sad and cold because not even a simple lantern hanged on our house's front window.
The other thing that made me lost my interest in Christmas was upon learning that Santa Claus doesn't really exist. For years I had been living in the fantasy that Santa makes a list of little boys and girls' names all over the world and that he's checking it twice as what a certain Christmas jingle says so that those who have been good for the rest of the year will receive a gift from him. I thought that the Santa (should I put an "s" on the last letter?) that I always see in department stores during yuletide season waiting for kids to ask him for a picture taking was real. I later found out that that Santa was just for commercial promotion and that he worked as a security guard on the other days. Frustrating it was for me to learn the truth that the old stout man with immaculate beard and mustache and wearing red suit while saying "ho ho ho!" on his sleight pulled by flying reindeers was just a creation of adults' creative mind. But those were childhood days, innocence was still pure and undefiled. Days were we could be easily convinced about fantastical things without evidences. Sometimes I'd rather wish I just stayed that way, believing easily in things that were really fiction, rather than be awaken to the harsh and cruel reality of this world.
Lately, I joined our college's community extension service program and my first exposure to the community we are supporting was when we had our gift giving activity and medical mission for the indigents in that area. They say that Christmas time is a time for sharing because God himself gave his only begotten Son to us, Jesus Christ, in order to save the whole humanity. Well, The Nativity was really a beautiful story but I didn't get the real essence of it not until we went to Brgy. Tanao, Batad for the said activities I mentioned. It was the first time I did some humanitarian act and yes, it was a wonderful experience. I just want to emphasize on the thing about "sharing". I learned that to share not what you abundantly have but the one you have little of was amazing. It made me feel that a part of me went to the thing I shared and that part of me lifted that receiver's spirit because of the genuine smile I beheld on his/her face. Now I know what Jesus felt when he gave himself to us and with that, a new "magic" suddenly enchanted me about Christmas. It is the magic of self-giving, of unselfishness, of genuine fraternal love. I lost my faith on Christmas when I was kid, now Christmas has redeemed itself to me.
Merry Christmas everyone and let us continue to spread peace, love, and joy to the whole world! God bless us all.
-oOo-
"God, bless this food..."
Chibugan Time
Simple Christmas With Family & Relatives
My Cousins
1 comment:
uhmmm i changed my site name again. whehehe!
paki update na lang sang linkie ko here: (http://dorkypandora.blogspot.com)
more posts! :D
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