Christmas Starts In September

There is no other country that I know that celebrates Christmas the longest except this country. As September comes, the first “ber” month, temperature starts to plummet and a number of radio stations introduce carols in the air.

This is the official start of Christmas in the Philippines and ends on the Feast of Epiphany the following year.

Yuletide carols, the first sign of Christmas spirit permeating the airwaves serve as a reminder for families to prepare for Christmas 10 weeks away. Although this is a Third World country, it is customary that there is food on the table on Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) no matter how simple and humble for a family to share. Exchanging of gifts is common in the upper class while giving something no matter how modest like a pair of shoes, a toy, a pair of pants, a t-shirt or anything new to one another in the family if afforded is done by most. The value of the gift does not matter but the sincerity and love of the giver. For the unfortunate who cannot afford material celebration or refuse to observe a “commercialized Christmas”, they prefer to practice the happiest season of the year by following their religious disciplines.

As December 25 draws closer, the surrounding metamorphoses into a city of toys, lanterns, other Christmas symbols; imported fruits, commodities and anything Yuletide. People get busier in setting parties and spending for Christmas day.

Behind this blissful setting, the true meaning of Christmas, a religious observance in origin, dissolves.

No one can gainsay that Christmas is too much commercialized now. If that is true in other countries why must the Philippines follow the course when its culture is deeply rooted in Christianity?

. . . A wife from a village a week before Christmas went to the sparkling city to buy a replacement of a broken baby Jesus figurine for her Nativity scene (Belen). There she saw people come and go spending heavily in festive mood. From store to store she went asking if they carry a statue of baby Jesus she could put in her “Belen”.

She was not able to find one.

Back in the house, he told her husband that she was not able to buy a replacement but bought a super glue instead hinting that the pieces be put together. The husband meticulously and patiently glued together the pieces of the broken figurine. When done, their youngest daughter said, “Dad, the baby Jesus is very beautiful although the cracks are visible . . . "

The story is simple but its meaning is enough to melt a hardened and callous heart like Mary Magdalene's and Saul's.

These days, Jesus is difficult or even impossible to be found in our midst. If found, we see how he is disfigured because of our lukewarm faith and love in him or even our willful refusal to love him by not loving our neighbors in need as a start. We cannot recognize him because our vision is impaired with the dust of materialism and greed. How disappointed is one who comes to give the greatest gift but only to find out that we are busy adorning our "golden calf".

Christmas is a time of hope, peace and love. May the lengthy observance of Christmas in the Philippines urge us to rediscover our faith and celebrate Christ’s birth as it must be --- spiritually.

Maligayang Pasko (Merry Christmas) to one all from us here in the Philippines!-30-