Will We Still Be Singing “Merry Christmas”?

 

When it was announced that there would be a need to keep ourselves safe at home, it didn’t sink it that much that the virus could be that devastating. Seeing the number of affected individuals steadily rise made me fearful not only for myself, but more importantly for my family. So many questions started to flood my mind to the point of almost losing hope particularly after seeing how many of our front liners are the ones who are getting infected and died altogether. But I said to myself, if I keep my mind in that state, nothing good will come out of it. Plus, it will just weaken the spirit of my family which I would not want to happen. I feel that being in prayer was very powerful to strengthen myself. After all, that is what I do. I need to toughen up and show others that we can all get through this. And no matter how bad it may seem everything will be alright. Things may not be the same as they used to, but we can all get by…..eventually.

 

I know how some people may have been mentally tortured with the fact that this disease still has no cure and that we have not developed any immunity compared to other viruses that have affected the world. And so, sometimes, in my most quiet moments, I get to think if Christmas will still be the same.

 

So many people have been out of jobs. Some have resorted to begging for alms just so they can leave food on the table for the family. It is truly hard to hang on tight when there seems to be no hope for getting your life back like you used to. Not having a job or business can dampen anyone’s spirits which may even lead you to the breaking point…..which some may have actually been. Seeing the children who seem to be clueless about the gravity of this whole thing, I am sure parents are very hopeful that somehow, they can still have a happy, normal life. That somehow they can still give something to their children on Christmas Day.

Usually during this month, bazaars are popping almost everywhere. And it is the best time of the year to buy gifts because they are still cheap and that for some sellers, it may be the start of their real business. It’s kind of sad that we may not be able to see people crowding these bazaars because we need to keep distant from everybody else in compliance to safety protocol. For sure, there would still be sellers, both online and offline, but shopping at physical stores may be a different experience compared to just clicking on items online. Safety first, of course. Despite these, I feel that unless sellers would come up with really unique and outstanding products, people may just rely on the simplest gift that their money can afford. Food for media noche? No matter how little will be served on the table, what’s important is that every family member is together to celebrate Christmas.

 

Filipinos are known to be “madiskarte”, and which I am so proud of. Every Filipino, I think has a resilient character, just like an entrepreneur. An ordinary Juan will make all possible means to be cheerful and to make their families happy even in the direst of all situations. Some people think that we are a “happy-go-lucky” individuals who just either sings at every corner of the street or play basketball…. But that is just how Filipinos are. We were brought up living with simple things. Only a few have been blessed to have that much. Majority of the Filipinos live simple lives, wanting simple things.

 

Indeed, there would be a huge change on how we will be celebrating the Christmas Season and I do think that we all should be disciplined and responsible. Let’s all just think of these changes as something that can help us become stronger. We don’t have control on every situation, but we can do little things which can still feel the way they were.

Yes, there still will be Christmas despite everything that has happened since the start of 2021. We just need to put on a brave face, an accepting heart and a will to move on and do as much as we can to make Christmas feel like any other Christmas that we have ever had regardless if we have lots of money to splurge or not.

 

The sound of Christmas carols, no matter how old you have become still puts that sense of being a child sitting on your father’s lap, eating your favorite candy and playing with your toy truck or basketball. Christmas will always be in our hearts. No kind of devastation can take that away from us because Christmas gives us a gleam of hope and spreads love amongst all of us always.

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