Here comes the season of cold breeze and extra bright lights on the streets at night. Some shops are already blasting some Jose Mari Chan and Mariah Carey Christmas songs on the speakers. In a few days, some will wake up extra early to attend the nine days of “Simbang Gabi” leading to Christmas Eve. While, some friends and family are gathering up gifts to give to their loved ones. And of course, students and the adultings are anticipating that much needed holiday break.

Yep! You could really see that Christmas is just around the corner and as the song goes…”it’s the most wonderful time of the year.” But what has changed for you during this season over the years? 

Right off the bat, the first thing I noticed was the essence of Christmas changes as you grow older. I must admit, when I was a kid, it was all about receiving gifts and the joy of opening them right away even if I’m not supposed to because it was not Christmas day yet. I also enjoyed combing the streets and houses with my friends to sing Christmas carols and receiving spare change or candies as a token which was a big deal back then. I’m pretty sure most of us have experienced this at some point. But as we grew older, I believe that the tides shift and we are more keen on the more sophisticated aspect of life. 

At this point, you know that there are far more important things to deal with like carrying the bittersweet burden of pre-adulting and adulting life. You also now carry the burden of thinking what gifts you should get for the younglings of the family and friends (or better yet, hide from them 😂) because you already hold the title of being a “tito/tita” or “ninong/ninang”. 

But kidding aside, there is a realization that the essence of Christmas does not merely revolve around gift giving. Hence, it is about celebrating the holidays with family and friends. It is about celebrating the essence of love, humility, and compassion to other people. It is also the time where you express gratitude and share your blessings through simple things (which by the way, should also be expressed off season) and it is also the time where you reflect on bigger things in life since it is just a few days before the new year comes. 

If before, all we think about is toys and playing outside, now the responsibility and the decisions that we have to make could affect the consequences that we have to make. Thus, you could consider this time to plan on what goals you want to achieve for next year and what you want to change to be a better person and most importantly, make it happen.

It does not matter what the essence of this season is for you, we all still wish you happy holidays and take this coming holiday break to rest and regenerate 💪🏼