Counting my blessings

I promised myself I would not bitch about the stress, hassle and major inconveniences that the Christmas season brings every year.  I did a lot of that last year, and the year before. Enough.  This year, I am adopting  a positive (though resigned) attitude and have resolved to enjoy Christmas in spite of all the “inevitables” that it brings.

I will not complain how quickly my wallet empties at this time of year, or about the many parties and events I have to attend, or the long fight to Sydney that I will take to be with my family. In place of being grumpy, I have decided to focus on being grateful.

In short, I will not allow myself to feel victimized by Christmas. Instead, I resolve to be inspired by everything good about the season. And the best way to do this is to simply count the blessings and graces I see manifesting everywhere.

1)  I am grateful that I live in a culture that celebrates Christmas. Christmas, as we Filipinos know it, is not commemorated the same way in many parts of the world. While there are people who may complain about not really feeling the Christmas spirit, it is a feast and a ritual that is deeply moving for the majority of Filipinos. I love the way we go to town on Christmas, to make it a really momentous event with simbang gabi, giant belens, lighted parols, caroling, an overflow of food sharing, gift-giving and partying. I actually love the excess of the holidays.

In the Philippines, the good cheer is palpable. We Filipinos have made our Christmas celebration an art form that is uniquely ours. There really is nothing like a Pinoy Christmas. Even in Sydney, we celebrate Christmas Pinoy-style with friends and extended family, complete with community singing of Christmas carols and a program where the kids reenact the Nativity scene.

2)  I am grateful that despite a pretty dismal year financially, I am still able to bring Christmas cheer to the people who work in our home, and the few others who depend on me for a living.  They have made my family’s life so much easier all year round and I am happy to be in a position to make theirs a little better, especially at Christmas.

3) I am grateful that I am not lured by the materialism and extreme consumerism that can consume people, especially at Christmas. This has been bothering me for some time now as I see young people, including my grandchild having a different take on Christmas. I remember my Christmases as a kid that were meaningful, even prayerful, and touching to the heart. I feel a lot of that is gone and what have taken its place are mindless accumulation, instant gratification and constant stimulation.

I can walk through a mall with all its attractions and shun them outright.  In truth, I do not enjoy shopping, and the faster I can do the few errands and what else needs to be done in a mall, the better I feel.

4) I am grateful that my wife and kids can get into Christmas and all its rituals and enjoy giving as much as receiving. As much as she complains about having to decorate the house for the holidays, my wife will not have it any other way.  She also goes out of her way every year to give a facelift to the belen in our parish church, and remembers to give practically everyone we know a small gift each year.

Lydia and the kids also make sure that they spend time with the family. My kids are close to their aunts and uncles and cousins and have close friends in both Australia and the Philippines. Our homes in both countries are often the center for partying and revelry.

I know of families that are unfortunately short of the love and bonding our family enjoys. They  actually find Christmas to be a lonely season.  This is just so sad. I wish them the best cheer to ease their loneliness.

5) Lastly, I am grateful that I am not so cynical as to be no longer inspired by the call of Christmas. I continue to believe in its enduring meaning. This is the time of the year when we must erase all cynicism, open our hearts, and renew our hopes for a better world —all because a Child was born.

While I enjoy the revelry and the season’s cheer that may have little to do with the coming of The Child, I live by the oft-quoted words of one Charlotte Carpenter who wrote, “Remember, if Christmas isn’t found in your heart, you won’t find it under a tree.”