I, on the other hand, am admittedly not a Christmas person. When I was a child, I had one lonely quiet Christmas that did it for me. After that, Christmas wasn't the same for me again. And year after year, there's something about December that makes me feel lonely. And something seems to happen during the season that reinforced how I felt about Christmas.
Delamar once said that it's the pressure of being cheerful and joyful during the season that puts more pressure into people, which makes them more depressed during the holidays. I was one of those people.
Until I left the Philippines.
There is nothing like Filipino Christmas. That, I can truly say. That so-called Christmas spirit --- it's unexplainable but it's just in the air. It makes people kinder, nicer, more generous. The spirit allows us to be more gentle with each other.
Outside my hotel room right now, I can hear the unrelenting honking of buses and jeepneys --- as early as 6am. People are rushing to go back home to their families in time for the Christmas Noche Buena tonight.
Manila is noisy. It's busy. It's traffic everywhere. Normally, I will be superbly annoyed. But not today. Not this season.
Because it's Christmas. And I finally felt it in my heart.
Merry Christmas, everyone!Light and love this holiday season. And let's not forget why we are celebrating in the first place.
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