From Dawn Till Dusk

Caution: A quite sentimental post ahead. So ready your hankies for wiping some tears. This is an answer to the tag by Teacher Julie on What Christmas Means to Me.

Whenever Christmas time arrives, there’s always this warm feeling inside of being giddy and excited. It’s a season experienced since childhood and the feeling of excitement that had stayed year after year. There must be something about Christmas time—the feeling of chills from the cold and breezy weather, hearing the children caroling in the streets, seeing Christmas lights and decors installed everywhere, witnessing how the roads suddenly becomes busier and commercial centers populated with more and more people doing their Christmas shopping.

I have to admit that sometime in my childhood, especially when financial difficulties in the family strikes and it timed during the Christmas season, I can’t help but feel a little pity either for me or my family, for not having the gift that I want, or new clothes or new toys or holding enough money to spend to make my Christmas happier. It was materialistic in a sense, and whether or not how I was raised by my parents or the commercial environment had something to do with it, it all boils down to a realization that resisting the distractions and temptations of the commercialized side of the season was really hard to practice. Not until I had a family of my own.

It was in Christmas of 2000 when I first experienced spending the season away from my family. Newly married couples at that time, Hubby and I, we’ve had this commitment to spend the rest of the upcoming Christmases in our lives, especially the Christmas Eve, as him and me and our future kids, as one family. A simple Noche Buena for two, in our little apartment still unfurnished, it was lonely celebrating the most-awaited time of the year in a quiet and peaceful mood. But the very same calmness and serenity brought me to realizing that more than twinkling lights, lavish gifts, and festive dinner parties, Christmas is all about celebrating the birth of our Dear Lord and Savior after all. December 25th, the date of celebration is definitely traditional, and may not be His factual date of birth, but the promotion of peace and goodwill that it brings is just overwhelming. So on that very same Christmas Eve, Hubby and me, despite our religious differences (Hubby is a Catholic while I attend Sunday services at a Protestant Church), we prayed together and praised and thank Him for His being our Messiah—the one who had loved us and continue to love us, with our shortcomings notwithstanding.

And now that we have a little Nico to complete our family, our Christmases has never been this happier. And yes, like the usual traditions of filling our home with Christmas decors (the Christmas Tree especially), giving gifts for loved-ones, feasting on a little Noche Buena, and attending family gatherings and Christmas parties—all of these we never fall short to do every year. But never that we also fail, no matter how much Christmas time seemed too commercialized nowadays—in the faith and belief of His Divine love. This same belief, I hope that Nico will grow and hold on to.

Advance Happy Christmas everyone!

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And here’s how Mitch and Teacher Julie reflect on their Christmases:

Christmas is an annual holiday that makes my little wishes come true. A pair of new shoes, new dress and gifts from my Godparents. That’s how I defined Christmas years and years ago until… I came to Bahrain. That’s when I realized what it really means. A special day to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Here in Bahrain, Christmas is nothing. It’s just an ordinary working day for almost everyone, unless your boss is considerate, he’ll give you at least a half day to celebrate, if there are celebrations happening. But in my case, there’s nothing to celebrate literally. Everyone is at work, that includes my husband and myself. We attend the midnight (Christmas Eve) mass and that’s it, go to sleep and get back to work the next day, on Christmas day. My first Christmas away from home happened in 1999. I came here in October and had the most loneliest Christmas ever in my life - without my family. That made me realized their importance. On how meaningless celebrations would be without them. To cut the story short, for me Christmas is all about Jesus and family. If you have friends to celebrate this special day with you, that’s a bonus! -When Silence Speaks

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A little while ago, I talked to my daughter about this year’s Christmas being different from the other Christmases we had. She asked me why. I explained to her that my husband and I are both undergoing financial difficulties since hubby has just been doing consultancy work since March and that means no extra money for the holiday expenses, not that we give expensive, extravagant gifts, we don’t. She said something like: “It’s okay, we don’t need expensive gifts, what is important is that we are together.” Thank you, Trixie, for making this easier. (Please click on her name to see what she has written in her blog about her thoughts on this.) We have always emphasized about the real meaning of this holy day. That this is about Jesus who came to save us from sins and give us eternal life. We always make it a point to go to church during the morning of Christmas day to give thanks to the Lord. Christmas is not just a holy day, not just a time of giving gifts but a time to thank the Lord for the blessings of life. -TeacherJulie

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Note: The instructions of the Meme says to make a paragraph next to the last that is passed, but I’ve made some modifications. I hope that’s perfectly fine with Teacher Julie.

And for the continuity of the Meme, I’m tagging Cookie and Auee. Come on Mommies, I’m ready with my boxes of Kleenex, so let us hear your Christmas stories.