It's Christmas

It was a few days before Christmas many years ago and it looked like it would be a lean one for my family. The saw mill that I was working at had laid a lot of us off while machinery was being repaired so we didn’t have much money. My wife and I had scrimped and saved to buy our young children some toys, but an unexpected car repair had taken most of our cash. We decided then that we could only afford to get one small gift for each of our children.

We arrived at the store and walked down the parking lot past people loading gifts into their cars. I envied them a bit, because it sure didn’t feel like Christmas to me. We hurried into the store past the Salvation army bell ringer with our heads down. I had always enjoyed putting something in his kettle before but wasn’t sure if I could afford to this time. We searched all through the store hoping to find one thing each of our small children would like. Thankfully, we were able to get them each someone sweet. We headed for the checkout, bought the toys, and were amazed that we even had a few dollars left over. 

Every time we love, every time we give it’s Christmas.” It doesn’t have to be a gift of money either. When we give our time, it’s Christmas. When we share our smile, it’s Christmas. When we give others our kindness and compassion, it’s Christmas. When we do anything at any time to help another, it’s Christmas. May you do all you can to make it Christmas every day of the year and every day of your life here. May you always share God’s light through the love you give and the life you live.

Christmas Dinner

Christmas dinner is a meal traditionally eaten at Christmas. This meal can take place any time from the evening of Christmas Eve to the evening of Christmas Day itself. The meals are often particularly rich and substantial, in the tradition of the Christian feast day celebration, and form a significant part of gatherings held to celebrate Christmas.

The actual meal consumed varies in different parts of the world with regional cuisine and local traditions. In many parts of the world, the meal shares some connection with the English Christmas dinner involving roasted meats. 

Christmas dinner in the Philippines is called Noche Buena following Hispanic custom, and is held towards midnight of December 24. This usually comes after the entire family has attended the late evening Mass called the  Misa de Gallo. The centrepiece of the Noche Buena is often the hamon. Other ubiquitous dishes are pasta and for dessert, fruit salad. Most of the food served on Noche Buena are fresh and usually prepared during the day of Christmas Eve.

This focus on the family is common to all Filipino socio-economic classes and ethnic groups that observe Christmas in that most – if not all – members from branch or extended families in a clan are expected to partake of the Noche Buena. Relatives living abroad, especially OFWs, are highly encouraged to return home for the occasion, as it is the most important Filipino Christian holiday of the year. Most families prefer to exchange Christmas presents right after the dinner, in contrast to the Western custom of opening presents on Christmas morning.

Christmas Day

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. 

Instead of being a time of unusual behavior, Christmas is perhaps the only time in the year when people can obey their natural impulses and express their true sentiments without feeling self-conscious and, perhaps, foolish. Christmas, in short, is about the only chance a man has to be himself. 

I sometimes think we expect too much of Christmas Day. We try to crowd into it the long arrears of kindliness and humanity of the whole year. As for me, I like to take my Christmas a little at a time, all through the year. And thus I drift along into the holidays — let them overtake me unexpectedly — waking up some fine morning and suddenly saying to myself: "Why, this is Christmas Day!