5 Things I Love Most About Christmas

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In 30+ days, it's my favorite holiday again - Christmas! I know a lot of you share the same sentiments towards this yearly celebration and the coming of the new year. And out of all the many reasons why I love Christmas, I decided to share with you my top five.

#5: The Christmas jingles / songs. The Christmas carols. The sound of Christmas.

I love Christmas songs. I remember a friend sharing with me how she loves going to the malls during Christmas time because of all the seasonal songs they play everywhere. Christmas songs truly warm the heart, even those upbeat ones. When you start hearing them anywhere, you know the Christmas spirit is already in the air, even as early as September, the start of the -ber (brrr) months.

My ultimate favorite Christmas song is Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. I just love the lyrics, the melody, everything about it. Here's the lyrics:

Have yourself A merry little Christmas Let your heart be light From now on Our troubles Will be out of sight Have yourself A merry little Christmas Make the Yule-tide gay From now on Our troubles Will be miles away

Here we are as in olden days Happy golden days of yore Faithful friends Who are dear to us Gather near to us once more Through the years We all will be together If the Fates allow Hang a shining star Upon the highest bough And have yourself A merry little Christmas now

#4: NOCHE BUENA and all that food during Christmas time.

Of course, the food prepared during Christmas' Noche Buena is one of the top reasons why I love Christmas. It's usually the biggest feast our family share every year. That's why when it's near Christmas time anywhere (here in the Philippines most especially), all weight loss plans (including diet weight loss pills) get thrown out the window. *LOL* My parents, my brother and I are all certified foodies so expect that we've got a lot of delicious food served up for us to share on Noche Buena.

Before, my mother usually prepares our own sweets for Christmas. I help her prepare the sweet beans, macapuno and garbanzos. She even used to prepare our own halaya (ube) and leche flan. The past few years, though, she decided to stop preparing too much sweets during Christmas. But, we do still serve some that we bought from the market or was given to us by friends or relatives.

I love the abundance of bibingka being sold everywhere, especially during the simbang gabi. I love the different rice puddings and kakanin you can buy and enjoy eating right after you heard Mass at the church. Ahhhh… my tummy's already starting to grumble so I'm gonna move on to my next favorite thing about Christmas.

 

#3 - The spirit of giving. The Christmas mood.

I've observed over the years of celebrating Christmas with different people, we usually are our good, giving/generous selves during this holiday season. I can't really explain why, but it's a pretty awesome feeling. It's like I want to hug everyone I see and greet them a Merry Christmas. I guess that's why even when I was working in call centers before where we're forced to work during the holidays like Christmas, I still enjoyed celebrating because people everywhere are oh-so kind and warm.

Christmas time also brings in us the spirit of giving. It's a very glorious feeling indeed. *sigh* Can you feel how much I love Christmas now? *LOL*

 

#2 - Celebrating our Lord's birth. The simbang gabi.

I may be not as religious or as fervent in prayers as other Catholics out there, but, I celebrate Christmas not only because of the spirit of giving or the Noche Buena the night before. I know it's the Lord's birth and I guess this is why we're all in a very giving mood during Christmas time. It's usually the only day most non-practicing Catholics like me would hear Mass. Though I admit, I haven't heard Mass for over a decade now. I have a different belief, which I'd rather talk about next time. Hehehe.

Going back to our Lord's birth, I still love reading the story about how He was born into this world. I remember, I used to read this book filled with illustrations of Jesus. The book was all about stories you'd find in the Bible, but was written in a way that kids would enjoy reading. It was my favorite book when I was a kid, actually. Not sure where it is now though. I can't remember the title, but it was a really thick, hardbound book. I loved reading it, especially during Christmas time. I think I read it like a hundred times and I never grew tired of it. And it's a great reminder about my faith and beliefs. If you happen to know what book I'm talking about, please, let me know. I really would love to purchase it from anyone who has a copy of it.

I also remember attending Mass, back when I was younger, with a couple of friends. But, I decided to stop doing it 'cause most of the time, we end up not really being present during the Mass. I mean, we would usually just talk and observe other people. I guess that's why I chose to have a more personal relationship and communication line with Him. I never forget to greet Jesus a "Happy Birthday" on Christmas day. :)

 

#1 - Celebrating with family.

This is my number one reason why I love Christmas - we have an excuse to really enjoy a meal together, hug and greet each other. Honestly, we're not a very expressive group of people. The first time I said "I love you" directly (through text *LOL*) to my father was when I flew to Cebu last year, thinking I'll be living there for good. My mother and I, I guess, are the most expressive among us four. And most people who really know me would tell you I'm not that expressive based on their standards. I don't kiss my parents' hands (mano), but I do that with my aunts and uncles. I guess each of us in our family already know how much we love each other. We have our own ways of showing our love for each other.

So, during Christmas, our inexpressive selves take a back seat. We share a great meal together, drink wine, hug and greet each other a Merry Christmas. The best moments in life right there! And I wouldn't trade that for anything or ANYONE else. I love my family so much!

At the end of this blog post, I'm a li'l teary-eyed. I'm just happy that God gave me the strength to overcome all the troubles I experienced in the past weeks. That's one of the things I'm so thankful for this Christmas. And, thanks for reading! :)

Image credits: Christmas Carol, Noche Buena