Christmas Past

When I was a little girl, our Christmas tree at home was a cut mangrove tree, almost conically in shape bought yearly from a Muslim vendor. It would be medium in height, good enough for our small house. Mother would stood it up in a big empty can, then filled it with stones. The can would be wrapped with Christmas paper. And the bare tree trunk and branches trimmed with curly strands of green crepe paper. After the tree had been fully wrapped in green, we would adorned it with tinsels and balls and small plastic toys. After many days of preparing the tree, Papa would give the final touch by hanging multicolored Christmas lights around. It was magical! Alone by myself, sometimes I would stand by it and sang my well loved Christmas songs. On Christmas eve, my siblings and I hanged stockings on the sturdy branches and waited all night for Santa to come. Even how hard I tried to catch Santa during the night, I never did.  But Santa never failed to fill my stockings with candies, small toys and coins. I did this hanging of the stockings thing until I was 16 years old. Old enough, Santa by this time knew I preferred peso bills to candies and coins. And truly I was never disappointed.
When I was growing up, my sister Helen and I were tasked by our parents to do the wrapping of the Christmas tree. Our maids helped us at night. Younger brothers Boboy and Ollie helped too but it was mostly the girls' task to finish the trimmings. One time, Mama was dismayed at the pace of our work that she forbade us to watch movie until it was done. Because that year's tree was kind of bigger, Helen began breaking off some of its branches. I quickly followed suit and pretty soon the tree was all wrapped up and ready for the hangings. Helen's big idea became a precedent for me and my younger brothers later, specially when I felt too tiresome to finish wrapping the Christmas tree after she went to Manila for her college education. Our tree was always green in color while Auntie Pilar's tree would be white or varied. The first Christmas after Mama died in 1971, Auntie Pilar gifted us a fake golden tinsel tree. It was never the same. Not long afterwards plastic firs became the fad and they took over until this very day.
One Christmas, when I was a grade five pupil, I fancied making my own Belen (Christmas nativity scene). Pistang, our head saleslady at the store helped me. My parents of course supported my project. Together with Pistang, I gathered bermuda grasses from the city hall plaza to portray a vast grassland. My center piece was bought from Benedicta Sy Store and the grassland was filled with Boboy's plastic toy animals. I thought the animals were not quite appropriate but Pistang wanted them there. My some kind of a crude diorama  made Mama proud of me. Yet honestly, it was mostly Pistang's work.
Today, my spirit has not grown old, just like a 10 year old girl, I am still delighted with Christmas. I love the Christmas carols, the gay decorations and the festivities and food preparation. This year, Lucas and I may have to spend our Christmas quietly. Despite it, we shall continue to celebrate the Lord's birthday in our own special way. The coming of the Lord is always a great joy! Come Lord Jesus Come!