Profiles of Christmas

Christmas has always been a season of ironies. Advent is supposed to be a sacred time of year, but it is also a most materialistic and hedonistic time. It is supposed to be a happy celebration with family, yet it also underscores aloneness and loneliness for some. It is a most joyful spell, the month most chosen for weddings. But it is also a dark period, when the number of suicides spikes up. Each one uses different coping mechanisms and behavior to deal with the challenge of Christmas.

The Bots: Organizing the gift list, shopping, wrapping, sending gifts, putting up the decor take up most of their energy and occupy most of their time. Christmas has become synonymous with four ber-months of commerce accompanied by early Yuletide carols. The first noel in September is the signal that the annual frenzy is about to begin. With robotic efficiency, they go into automatic mode and apply themselves to the tasks at hand.

The Nostalgia-ns: Traditions like Misa de Gallo, Midnight Mass, Noche Buena, bibingka and puto bungbong, the parol etc. have been modernized and made more convenient depending on the parish church you attend. What used to be dawn masses at 4 a.m. are now held at 5 a.m.; Midnight mass is at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Noche Buena is now just the late dinner after Christmas Mass. Pancakes are replacing bibingka. And many kids don’t know what puto bungbong is. The Christmas parol is slowly being taken over by LED Christmas lanterns mostly from China. No wonder I heard a new Christmas carol being played at the mall with some plaintive lyrics begging that the Christmas he remembers in his youth, return.

The Yule-bashers: I’ve heard a few people dreading if not bashing Christmas. What they remember are the thick, jostling crowds at the mall, with an occasional pickpocket or two. Then there’s the snarled traffic that provokes gnarled tempers, with a dash of road rage that even the season’s goodwill cannot contain. For those who fly home, the airport is another nightmare of delayed flights, lost luggage and pilfered Christmas packages. Then there is the unwanted weight gain that comes with the endless rounds of partying and merrymaking. One officemate complained that for every pound gained, several hours of pounding the road are the consequence.

But for all the paradoxes of Christmas, it remains the most anticipated, most awaited and most beloved holiday of all. For all the inconvenience, most people still go out of their way to find the most appropriate gift for their loved ones. For all the yearning for the good-ol’-days, they still celebrate any way they can. For every grumble, there’s apple crumble.

After all these musings, most people have come to realize that Christmas is what we make of it. Just like perceiving the glass to be half-empty or half-full, it is our personal choice.

The Faith-full: For the spiritually inclined, Christmas is a renewal of faith. Whatever religion is professed, whatever church they belong to — the centerpiece concept is that God sent His only beloved Son to save mankind. This is the most significant, the only meaningful reason for the season. It is a time for gratefulness, contrition and resolution. Everything else is just background material.

The Cheering Squads: Every Christmas these teams bring happiness and high morale to those who could use a lift. They visit the children with cancer, the orphanages, the prisons, the terminal patients and the aged; People who no longer have families, or are incapable of celebrating Christmas. They convey the Christmas message by singing carols, bringing food and gifts and passing on good cheer. Most of all, they bring hope to those at the brink of despair.

The Givers. As God gave us His Son for a chance at redemption, the givers are the generous souls who share whatever they have with those who have less. Heartwarming stories of anonymous donors giving huge sums of monies and gifts to the victims in the calamity-devastated areas, best captures the true spirit of Christmas.

And so another Christmas comes and goes. Maybe this particular one stands out more because some thought that the end of the world last December 21 meant no more Christmases in the future. Some are relieved that calamities like Hurricane Sandy and Pablo spared them. A few believe that global warming is the handwriting on the wall. The “cleansing” has begun and it’s only a matter of time before the great reckoning. I think it’s best to be prepared to go anytime.

No matter how one feels about Christmas, the one universal mindset is reflection. Contemplating how one has lived his life and thinking of how the years ahead should be spent is part and parcel of the season. The introspection could be as superficial and nearsighted as what to wear for the coming parties, or how to shed the pounds gained. Or it could be more profound, like assessing yourself, your relationships and career, and resolving to make life-changing decisions.

In my case, I got my first libel suit in four years of writing — the first court summons I have ever received in my life, from no less than Juan Ponce Enrile — who took offense at my recounting and annotating of his alleged historical misdeeds and inconsistencies. The fact that it was sent on December 18, to be answered on January 2 at Branch 118, Pasay Regional Trial Court, truly gives a new spin to Christmas.

So for 2013, there is much to look forward to. But today let us all have a Merry Christmas.

*      *      *

Email: [email protected]