Christmas is In Our Hearts And Souls

They said that as we get older, Christmas is also getting lonelier but I don't agree with that. It's not the Christmas season that has changed but it's us who did. We are so excited about growing up and now we want to go back to our childhood years just to experience real Christmas once again. Our priorities, and our perspectives shift, as we get older and I don't think that it should also change how nostalgic we feel about the Christmas season. It always depends on you, whether you let that inner child die inside of you or you let it live again with the new experiences in an adult you.

I always wanted to attend the Misa de Gallo or Simbang Gabi, it's a nine-day devotional mass before Christmas day. The mass starts at exactly 4 in the am and I'm not sure what time it exactly ends. At first, I set the alarm clock for 3:30 in the morning so I can still prepare but when the alarm starts ringing, I only ignore it because I'm so sleepy and my back hurts. For the last time which was also the last day of Simbang Gabi, that night I set my alarm to 3:30 am again but I was so surprised because it did not even ring. I checked if I turned the volume of my phone and it's a full volume, I checked if it's set in the am and yes it is. Now I realized that I was "Nalihian" or in my translation, I was stuck in a pattern where I couldn't always attend the Simbang Gabi.

Anyway, I attended the church mass at 8:30 in the am even though I haven't been able to attend a single Simbang Gabi in my whole life yet. I loved the atmosphere when I was inside the church, I felt the healing and positivity. I also love what they have preached in front about the impermanence of life and the eternal life after our life in this world.

These are my siblings and I always try to invite them to go to the church every Sunday. I'm not aiming for my siblings to become religious but I am doing this so that they won't be misguided in life. I don't want them to conform to the things that will only ruin their life. So as much as possible, I want them to grow up knowing the morals in life so that they won't end up as devasted as others. I want them to learn the true purpose and meaning of life and it's easier to teach young children than the adults who are already confined in their own.

Here in the Philippines, we love hanging Christmas lanterns anywhere. Outside our school are the beautiful stars hanging on the tree. We passed on the barangay hall and they also had these beautiful yellow lanterns hanging outside. It gives light to the dark road people walking by.

We have a barangay contest for exhibiting the manger where Christ was born from Mary with the help of Joseph, where the three wise men saw the bright brilliant star in the sky. These three wise men went to Bethlehem to see Jesus and gave him gifts. Every barangay that showcased their creativity and talent is amazing because it's a very clear way of storytelling the birth of Jesus especially to the children.

No matter what part you are in the world right now, whether you view Christmas as a religious practice or just a yearly tradition, it is never wrong. That's why I chose the title for this blog "Christmas in our hearts and souls" because true Christmas can only be felt inside your heart. If you want to give time to yourself and want to choose a me-time then go for it! If you want to spend your money on luxurious things to treat yourself then go for it! There's nothing wrong with how you would celebrate Christmas regardless of your beliefs, you can treat it as a holiday getaway. The only thing you have to put in your heart is to always be good to others and treat everyone right, and of course, let us also learn to give to others without asking for anything in return. That's Christmas for me.

Thank you for reading. All photos are mine unless stated otherwise. See you in my next blog! 🌸