Meanwhile, on the other hand, there are those who plan to be with family but still away from home. And their tribe is ever increasing with each passing holiday season.
Let’s listen to some for they have their own Christmas stories to share.
LOLI IMPERIAL ROLDAN, fashion model and housewife: After spending a few days in San Francisco awed by the Christmas lights and holiday decor, we – my parents, seven brothers and sisters, a number of sisters-in-law plus a couple of nephews and nieces – opted to visit Lake Tahoe where we rented a huge house (considering our number!) surrounded by towering pine tress and completely covered with snow. The favorite part of the house was, of course, the fireplace with stocks of wood on each side. Talk about ambience – we had it – white Christmas and all!
Come Christmas Eve, we pretended Santa Clause existed, so we prepared a show for the kids and my parents. We made tracks on the snow, rang bells and shouted Ho,Ho,Ho. I almost forced my brother Bobby up the roof for effect. But he chose to appear from the backyard instead. We laughed, tugged at each other and fell all over. The tracks became craters so we had to refill it over and over again. The funny part of it all was that we enjoyed it more than our audience. In the end, we failed to convince them Santa was real. We were just a bunch of grownups having fun and acting like kids again.
Christmas is really the time to be with your loved ones, be it anywhere in the world.
BEN CHAN, the mega retailer gentleman: Once upon a time – oh that sounds so long ago – I lived in San Francisco, away from my family who remained back home. How can I forget one particular Christmas? I spent it with the sister of my landlord munching chicken wings!
CARMITA FRANCISCO, travel director and entertainment producer: My late brother Fermin Jr. was connected with the Embassy of the Philippines assigned to the Holy See when I was taking my master’s in New York. Instead of coming home after a two-year stay abroad, my parents asked me to join my brother in Rome for the holidays.
As early as October, he submitted my name for possible inclusion of guests to attend the midnight Mass to be celebrated by Pope Paul V1. During his papacy he always invited the members of the diplomatic corps and their families together with his very own relatives and the church hierarchy for a Christmas Eve Mass at the Sistine Chapel.
As we arrived at the Vatican at approximately 10 in the evening, Swiss Guards met and escorted us to the entrance of the beautiful chapel whose ceiling is adorned by Michelangelo’s masterpiece. Monsignors acting as ushers led us to our designated place. Dressed in de riguer black-long sleeved and floor-length with a mantilla – I did not know where to look. Up at the ceiling to view the paintings or the antique altar bathed in the light of giant tapers.
Suddenly a blare of trumpets followed by the angelic entrance of a sea of red – the cardinals in their heavy silk robes leading the procession with His Holiness at the end. Emotions just overcame us as he passed by, enveloped in the heavy scent of incense, his benign face looking so solemn and peaceful...
Mass was in Latin and his sermon was in French, the official diplomatic language. During communion, he himself gave the host to the first pews and we were lucky to be included. At the end, he gave a special Christmas apostolic blessing. I found myself crying, touched by the privilege and feeling especially close to the Christ-Child. Every time Christmas comes around, I always remember this special Mass. That to me was a truly blessed Christmas and I still have the invitation and special missal to remind me of that very unique Christmas Eve.
BOB ZOZOBRADO, publicity and public relations practitioner: I have always wanted to spend Christmas abroad with my children. But every time I bring up the idea, they always managed to shoot it down with inane excuses.
Last Christmas, I accepted a long-standing offer from my former boss to stay at his grand mansion in Guam while he spends the holidays in the US mainland. It was an invitation too good to pass, so off we went.
The mansion is on top of Guam’s highest hill, the enclave of that island’s rich and famous, with a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean. It is one of those beautiful homes you read about in magazines. What’s more, the household help treated us like royalty.
On Christmas Eve, dressed to the nines, we decided to attend the late night Mass and had planned to have Christmas dinner in one of the luxury hotels, watch a show and then go dancing. We were ready for a long, fun evening for after all, it was our first Christmas out of the country. Were we in for a surprise! Hungry after Mass, we scoured the resorts and learned that all food and beverage outlets closed at 10, even their café restaurants. We begged. Our charms didn’t work.
After about an hour of driving around, getting in and out of the car, we were ready to kill for a meal. We had to settle for the only decent place that served food – a 24-hour diner.
It was past midnight by the time we were done. Shows, bars and discos had closed much earlier. We had no choice but to head for home. Still raring to go, we decided to "party" among ourselves with the bright moon shimmering over the vast expanse of the Pacific. My three jewels and I enjoyed more bonding over ice cream, junk food and soda, till the wee hours of the morning. In my book, all that makes for a memorable Christmas.
MARCEL FERNAN JR., international association and NGO officer: My parents decided that we all spend Christmas with my sister and her family in Foster City, California. It was a first. My children and all their cousins were so excited since they would be able to visit Disneyland and see and touch snow. However, since it was not cold enough to snow where we stayed, we had to drive to Nevada. While driving uphill towards Reno, my son Marc saw snow on the mountains. But that was not good enough for him. Driving further, Marc noticed snow on the road. As a matter of fact, it was all over us. All of a sudden he exclaimed, "Dad, can you play that Christmas tape that we brought?" Then I realized that the whole family felt the Christmas spirit. What a wonderful magical feeling. We later pulled over by the roadside and the kids had fun playing in the snow for the very first time. It’s the look on their faces that I shall never forget – pure happiness.
NENE VERA PEREZ, a mama for all seasons: Wherever I am, here or abroad, I am happy. Spending a couple of Christmases in California were happy occasions – more so as four of my children and some grandchildren were present. I find the Christmas in America very "Christmassy" – from their homes to department stores. The spirit seems to be everywhere except say, perhaps in the freeways.
However, I must admit I miss the company of my many relatives and close friends back home who come and visit me during the holidays. They literally come in and out of the house continuously. It likewise gives me great pleasure in sharing gifts chosen most especially for them.
I have come to the conclusion that you will enjoy Christmas wherever your heart is. Believe me – it happens to me all the time, every single time.
RELLIE LUCIANO LIWAG, ramp model and entrepreneur: I have resided in Los Angeles for 18 years and successfully learned to adopt and adapt to the American lifestyle. And this includes the way they celebrate Christmas. However, I am a conservative, stickler for homegrown traditions – customs and rituals I simply cannot turn my back on. So all through the years, right after the midnight Mass in our neighborhood parish, I host a full-blown Philippine-style noche buena with all the trimmings you can imagine – a bit of the Philippines in America. At Christmas time I always have the best of both worlds.
SUSAN MONTENEGRO SALA, president of a philharmonic orchestra: I had a dream – to be able to ski. So when the Christmas-New Year holidays came, I joined some eight girlfriends for a long weekend at Nava Cerrada, a ski resort outside Madrid.
We retired early as we were eager to hit the slopes first hour in the morning, The next day we rushed through breakfast and appropriately dressed for the snow and the wind. We were all in thermals bundled up in cardigans, sweaters, scarves and gloves – name it we had it on. Some even had fur-lined boots. We inquired from the shopkeeper about the slopes and he asked if there were among us a beginner. We were flattered that he thought we looked like we skied for a living. Upon learning we were all beginners, he shook his head and said, "No it is not possible. The snow had only covered the mountaintops. And it is so dangerous." We were very disappointed, it broke our hearts. He then explained that Spain was having a heat wave and that the snow was melting fast. Since we were all beginners, it would not be advisable at all for us to go high up in the mountains, as the slopes would be dangerous.
So we went to the nearest café and planned our next move. By then we were all feeling so warm. Can you just imagine how we looked? Bundled up for winter in the middle of a heat wave in December?
We decided to have a memorable Christmas dinner, did the usual exchange of gifts and talked endlessly till the next day at sunrise.
We then agreed to celebrate New Year’s Eve together. Guess where we went? Tenerife!