LOOKING FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS

LOOKING FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS
By: Bro. Geminiano V. Galarosa, Jr.
Dagohoy Lodge No 84
(HM- LL 185, JS 169 and RP 147)


Save for the first Christmas of the thirty-three years of our entire married lives, and this was only because none of our three children were already born at that time, the lion tamer and me have always celebrated the Yuletide season in the company of our kids. In this ritual, we have progressively established a common pattern for celebrating the event, the gifts, the foods- like the traditional “suman”, the fruit salad, the luscious ham marked “Excellente” that we patiently line up to buy at a store in Quiapo, and several other foods and goodies to mark the occasion in commemorating Christmas Eve. And since nine years ago when our first grandchild was born, a steady addition of grandchildren that now adds to four enliven our entire family of three children including their equal number of spouses. Admittedly, however, it was but a family affair.

Understandably this year, we could not celebrate it with the kids for as early as May when we visited them at the metropolis, we announced we won’t be home for Christmas because of financial considerations. Our meager and now fast-dwindling finances could support our trip only if we will forego our charitable projects especially harelip assistance and on this, the missus would not let go. So the attendant dilemma.

But sometime during the third week of November, the missus asked if it would be alright if she can arrange for a mass be held at our backyard that now has been turned into a mini-park not only for our benefit but also for our neighbors, especially the families of the four fishermen who, she noted, never bothered to go to church. She stoically said she plans it to be held on December 23rd adding the phrase “if Mohammed can’t go to the mountains, then she envisions the mountain can also go to Mohammed.”

My nonchalant reply was for her to study it carefully especially on the cost that it will entail. I reminded her that the reason we are skipping our trip to the metropolis, which in effect, meant breaking a cherished tradition, was because of “the root of all evil” and that if she does not watch it, we may just end up spending at our backyard what by omitting our trip to the city we intend to save.

And so she immediately shot back. Would a 4T budget suffice?? Or to get into the worst case scenario, would adding another T do?!

“And how is that itemized?” I barked back.

Her confident reply was: “1T for the stipend of the priest, 1.5T for the gifts and goodies for the four families and the children that frequent the place during early evenings, 1T for food, and half T for lights. Those T’s would add up to four.”

It turned out she already had it figured out even before I could formalize my questions. She also explained that after the mass and the consequential dinner, a program of activities consisting mostly of singing contest and games for the benefit of the kids will be held.

“Ok”, I retorted back. “And peg your budget at Five”. You most oftentimes overshoot your budget anyway. But no more!

No sooner had I given her the go-signal and she immediately talked to the people at the backyard about her idea. (Better still, she probably had already discussed it to them before she even talked to me about it.) She promptly arranged that the place be lit with Christmas lights (called “series” in the vernacular) and had a 24 inch-diameter colorful Christmas lantern produced and hang at the middle of the twin electric lights that were already installed at our backyard. Also, she discussed the concept of celebrating mass to her relatives who were living at the other side of the road and who, it turned out, were equally enthusiastic about the prospects. They also volunteered to co-celebrate the event by bringing their own food “KKB-style” to make the affair enjoyable. The food to be served to the officiating priest was assigned to the missus, while her well-to-do cousin volunteered the “long necks” so that the fishermen can enjoy the night as they will no longer venture to the sea that evening. Not only that, he also promised he will order his missus to prepare “bikos and sumans” for us to partake and thus make the merrymaking thoroughly worthwhile. The number of families that promised to attend has also increased to about fifteen.

And you should now see our backyard once darkness sets in! With the Christmas lights serving as beacons to the returning fishermen, it has turned our side of the beach into a lighted mini-park. All that is now needed is for the awaited time to come and thus allow us to commemorate the birth of mankind’s greatest teacher we all call Jesus Christ!!