Nov. 15, 2020

40 days left before Christmas. Days pass by really fast. Here I am thinking that September was just a few days ago. (Ber-months). Restrictions were loosened, parents and kids go out shopping for gifts, people go out of town, different celebrations can be held everywhere now.

Christmas is the biggest holiday in the Philippines. We got the chance to be with our family all night long, most Filipinos do family reunions.

I remember when we were kids, we used to go out every night during December to go Christmas Caroling. (Is that the correct term?) We go around the neighborhood and sing Christmas carols and some of them will give money. We were lucky to earn at least 50pesos to 100pesos max per night. How? We had instruments, tamborine and flute, we sang like we wanted to be professional singers hahahaha. Unlike other kids who just sing just for the sake of caroling and asking money. We enjoyed singing and playing instruments. It was fun doing it with friends, with my sisters.

Christmas shopping

Everyone goes christmas shopping for gifts every Christmas. I used to buy small gifts that I can give to my closest friends and family.

Me and my highschool bestfriends have a favorite color so every time that we buy something for each of us, it will be color coded. Yellow for me, green, blue and orange. I'd buy one same item and one for each of our favorite colors.

Simbang gabi

We all know the Filipino Christmas delicacy puto bumbong and bibingka.

Apparently, we have different types of rice cakes HAHAHAHA! But these two delicacies are usually available during Ber-months or Christmas season. You can also see vendors right outside the church during simbang gabi.

Christmas family reunion.

This is common in the Philippines as one of it's biggest holidays. Christmas is best when spent with family. It's the time of the year where people take time to go back home, in the province or even take time off from work. It's always a pot luck celebration in our family. They bring food for everyone to share from dinner time to Noche Buena. Drinks and video for the rest of the night, then at 12md everybody would eat again and then start gift giving if any, games, giving of pamasko wherein kids would line up so they can receive money from their ninongs and ninangs, even aunts and uncles. Basically, Christmas day is just an endless eating and drinking celebration. Sometimes left over food still lasts for a week more or even until New Year!

Those are just a few things that I miss while there's still a pandemic. I am pretty sure that you miss doing those things during Christmas season too. We still need to keep the Christmas spirit alive in anyway.

I miss being a kid too!