Christmas is Bro’s Day

"People making list, buying special gifts, taking time to be kind to one and all…"

True to the first stanza of Jackson 5’s song, I always experience this during Christmas Season.

by Dante Rossetti Santos Alejo

Our Christmas vacation started on December 17 though Far Eastern University scheduled December 18 as the last day of classes. Thus, before these dates, I have attended different Christmas parties within my groups and colleagues in the university.

On December 18, I attended my friend’s debut in Laguna and went back to Manila the next day. For that week, it seemed I was on an ordinary vacation and there’s no Christmas season to celebrate because I did not feel we were doing some preparations for the big event.

However as the Christmas day comes fast, I gradually felt our preparations. I just realized that this is the only Christmas that I wasn’t able to buy gifts for my family and it is because I ran out of money for the reason that I spent and paid too many things in school during the first and second week of the month.

I was December 23 when I decided to go out with my mother to Divisoria and buy something that we may add to the gifts wrapped and placed under our Christmas tree.

Divisoria, as I watch on television, is different during this season particularly that day compared to the ordinary days. People were everywhere and I really had to make my arms ready to push and fight over the thousands of people just to reach the area I was heading to.

Evening of December 24 and I was home alone. My father was outside to work and earn money; my brother was in his fiancée’s house and would go home later; my mother had to fetch my sister fresh from Bataan at the bus terminal in Avenida, but they did not meet for some reasons and my sister went home by herself – in that case, my mother went to Divisoria again to buy some stuff.

Before Christmas Eve comes, we still had the time to prepare some food that we haven’t prepared last night and in the morning. The fact is we had not attended the Church Mass.

Anyhow, we set up the sounds in preparation to changing of dates.

For us, December 25 is not just Christmas day or Jesus Christ’s day as most people do. Christmas day is also my brother Christian Denver’s day. We celebra

te the two occasions in one day.

In the morning of 25, mother cooked spaghetti for our additional food. That day, my brother went out to his girl’s house; as well as my father’s and I forgot the reason why he went out. Therefore, I together with my mother and sister was home.

I ate then slept. I woke up at night and decided to open the TV to watch the news.

And then, I ate and slept again.

I believe that Christmas is just for children…

Nevertheless, no matter how much food we have, no matter how much money we have spent during Christmas season, as long as the family stays and celebrates Christmas together, it is enough.

What important is we celebrate my brother’s birthday and Christmas’ real essence.