Cooking a Christmas miracle

Perhaps Christmas is the only time of the year when a teacher doesn’t feel like he or she is in a job that demands more than it compensates. This is especially true in Xavier School, where, every year, the parents’ organization throws a party for their children’s mentors and ensure that each receives a noche buena package and a Christmas bonus.

Not all schools are as fortunate as Xavier, though. The teachers in the school where I have volunteered have never received such overflowing expressions of gratitude. After all, the parents of our students could barely make Christmas extra special for their own families. This being the reality, my colleagues have already accepted this as a given and do not expect anything grandiose for Christmas except for their 13th-month bonuses and perhaps small items to be raffled off during their Christmas party. Last year, my co-teacher’s tables were filled not with hams or queso de bolas but with ball pens, mugs, bookmarks and other simple gifts that the students could manage to give to their teachers. For their party, the faculty were treated to a catered dinner, an event that literally happens only once a year. Their raffle had face towels and picture frames as minor prizes and a rice dispenser or an electric fan as the major prize. To make up for the simplicity of the party, the teachers organize parlor games and exchange gifts, choosing to focus on the bonding of the community rather than on material blessings.

It sounds nice, but in reality, one would wish at least a better Christmas for these teachers. Their working conditions are probably one of the least favorable in Metro Manila. The workroom has no air conditioning unit, there are only six computers to be shared by 40 teachers, only two of which have Internet connection. Their students cannot afford books and other educational materials so the teachers pay for the photocopies from their own meager salaries. The school, having no solid financial stability, sometimes doesn’t give their salaries and benefits on time. Despite these, some of my co-teachers have chosen to be loyal to the school and to the calling to teach the poor students of Manila.

I’m happy to say that, at least for this year, their wishes for a more prosperous Christmas have been unexpectedly fulfilled. This was made possible by the efforts of a world-renowned chef named Reggie Aspiras and the help of the Xavier School Parents Auxiliary, which for this year, had decided to go the extra mile and make Christmas possible for ERDA, Xavier’s adopted school. Like all charitable acts, Chef Reggie chose to make her desire to be of help and service to others a reality. She contacted the school director and the principal and laid out her plans. She offered to use her talent and expertise in cooking to raise funds so each ERDA teacher could receive a noche buena package. Again, like all good deeds, her initial plans triggered a snowball of volunteerism from Xavier parents, and Chef Reggie’s business partners and sponsors.

Last Dec. 10, Chef Reggie’s fund-raising activity was successfully held at Xavier School. At a price of around P1,688 per head, the participants learned how to cook world-class Christmas dinners for their families. More importantly, of course, the participants were actually sponsoring the Christmas package of one teacher. Chef Reggie’s cooking demonstrations usually cost around P5,000 per person. For this event, she did not receive a single penny as every centavo went to the funding of the Christmas package.

What did the package contain? Mind you, it was not the canned goods or the usual items one sees during donations. Chef Reggie made sure that the beneficiaries would receive something produced from hard work and not mindless dole-outs. This package could rival packages given at any corporate office in Makati. Each teacher received a ham, quezo de bola, five kilos of premium Japanese rice, a gift pack of different snacks for their children, one loaf of great bread from 1950s Pan de Sal and other items all packed inside one plastic case of orocan (a basket would not be able hold all the items!). Not content with this, Chef Reggie and the Xavier parents were able to find sponsors to raffle off brick ovens, air coolers, orocan items and other appliances during the Christmas party.

The funny thing was, the teachers could not believe what was happening. Throughout the party, they were speechless at the thought that they would receive a package, which was a first in ERDA’s 15 years of existence. They, of course, expressed their gratitude to Chef Reggie during the Christmas party but how I wished Chef Reggie was able to see what had happened inside the faculty workroom afterwards. The teachers, filled with childlike glee, could not wait to go home and open their packages to see for themselves if the items Chef Reggie enumerated were really inside. All the teachers were smiling and instantly forgot that their 13th-month salaries were delayed by two weeks. They had one big problem, though: they were wondering how they could bring home the gift packs as these were too heavy to transport in jeepneys. The teachers laughed it off, of course, and remarked that, for a change, it was a problem they would love to have.

Learning from Chef Reggie, let us not forget to include in our celebrations and merry-making today the neglected people in our society. Christmas, after all, is not about sharing that is limited only to our family and circle of friends. Christmas is about the birth of Christ, who chose to be born into the abode of the poor and the marginalized. In her closing remarks, Chef Reggie graciously pointed out that she thought she did not deserve to be thanked, for it was her duty to give back to society the blessings she has received from God. Despite this, on behalf of my co-teachers in ERDA, I would like to thank her and the Xavier parents who went out of their way and shared with the ERDA teachers the Christmas they hear about but never get to fully experience. In a month or two, of course, the gifts will have all been consumed; but we will never forget the experience of receiving heart-felt generosity and sharing of blessings. It is through this magnanimity that, with hearts overflowing with joy, we can truly say, “Emmanuel! God is with us!”