December; The Leisure Season

How Christmas Has Changed Throughout the Years

Image courtesy of Vanjuan

by Ronald Michael Quijano, LPT

It was Christmas Eve of 2005; I used to wake up at nine in the evening to help my mom to set up the wooden table, on it, our humble Media Noche comprised of fried chicken, bread, spaghetti, shanghai, and a sandwich spread. Our room is dim, we are living in an old apartment so we need to lower down the volume of our sound system since the other tenant is listening to their own Christmas playlist. Some, prefer a quiet evening. Before dinner, my mom would bring us to church to attend the Misa de Gallo, as we went through the streets, I see kids of my age wearing new, colorful, and simple clothes. Each house has its own Christmas design; lights, trees, garlands, Santa Claus statues, and paper greetings. Some are elegant and expensive while some are simple yet beautiful. After the mass, we are stopping by the streets to buy either puto bumbong or bibingka. Then we dig into our Media Noche while sharing stories and exchanging jokes. Our parents also tend to orient us about the list of our ninong and ninang to visit in the morning. After dinner, we go to sleep early to prepare to visit our relatives and friends in the morning. As the sun rises, we went on and go from house to house. When we take a visit to our ninong and ninang, our parents would sit down and have a good talk with them while we play with their kids or wait for their aguinaldo. I was just 9 years old, and I prefer to receive toys than cash because really, what can I do with the cash? After a long day of visitation, we will spend the rest of the day in the mall or our house playing with the toys and gifts we received. And that’s how most of my Christmas went until suddenly, everything changes . . .

I no longer enjoy simple foods on the table since most houses I visit would have expensive, high cholesterol, and more foods than what is necessary. It seems that they think that the more foods they have on their table the more awesome their Christmas would be. Back then, we just enjoy the foods we prepare, today, we enjoy our foods if it hits more likes on social media once we post a picture of it. There are always so many food leftovers. Back then, we simply enjoy solemn Christmas songs in our home, today, I hear nothing but gangster music, which is all about sex, drugs, fights, and how dark women's tits are. They wanted the whole barangay to hear their music so they set up huge speakers on the streets. And I don't understand what need is there to require ourselves to consume a large amount of alcohol during this season. Back then, we go to church to contemplate the reason why we celebrate such fete, today, we go to church because we just feel it is necessary and traditional. We keep posting on social media the reason for Christmas but we, ourselves, do not set as an example. Back then, we are setting up a Christmas design in our house to make it a home, today, we are setting up Christmas lights so our neighbors would take a picture of it and we will be the topic of the town. Before, we used to buy bibingka and puto bumbong because it complements the breeze of the season, today; we buy it because it is a trend. Before, as we are having our Media Noche, we connect with our friends and relatives, today, we are stuck on our phones, we no longer talk with each other, we are very busy watching others how they are spending their Christmas eve and we merely forget how are we spending ours. Back then, we visit our ninong, ninang, friends, and relatives to greet them happy holidays and connect with them, today, they feel obligated to give you gifts and money which is never the reason for such fete. This generation has poisoned their minds with unnecessary things they are always after. Now, we are asking what went wrong. We know the answer, we are just in denial.

I am an atheist, and yes I love the Christmas season. I became an atheist/agnostic when I graduated from college. Yes, I questioned Christmas and I know the history of Christmas and its origin. Still, I love the Christmas season. It is the season of connection, of love, of reminding ourselves of the value of friends and relatives. I believe that we can always have good talks, good foods, and a good time with our loved ones at any time of the year, but again, this particular season at the end of the year is somehow special and different. I go to church with them not because I will pray with them, but I get to have long walks and talks with them. It is also a great platform to take a closer look at how we spent our lives for the past months. When I think of a reason why Christmas has changed over the years, I can think of – compulsive desire. The world became more materialistic than necessary. We romanticized the idea of pleasure and desire and normalized it in our society through social media and advertisement. Business organizations have been selling us things we do not need, through advertisements; they are convincing us that their products are our necessities. You need an example. Look at how people on social media are lusting over expensive shoes, phones, money, and food. They see that more people want it, therefore; they felt the urge that they also need to want it. At this point, only then I understand why you need to set yourself away from the crowds. We think we gain popularity and boost our pride by buying more things, consuming more food, and drinking more alcohol. Also, look at how vloggers easily make us envy what they have. We no longer buy things because we need it, we buy things because that vlogger has it, that vlogger tasted it, that vlogger experienced it, that vlogger is like that so you feel that urge that you also need to be like that. Not knowing that you also have your own life to live, you are now living theirs. We are becoming prisoners of desire, yet you complain about the amount of garbage in the world, massive food leftovers, huge carbon emissions, climate change, and overpopulation? Yes, it was all a product of compulsive desire. 

In defense, social media also taught us that it’s okay to treat ourselves. To gift ourselves with the product of our hard work. Yes, I could not agree more, it’s okay to treat yourself, to buy something for yourself, to eat, to drink, to watch a movie, to listen to music, and to share photos, but you must also have the guts to ask yourself – it is too much than what is necessary? Seneca - a famous ancient stoic stated in his “Moral Letters”; “You know what wine and liquor taste like. It makes no difference whether a hundred or a thousand bottles pass through your bladder – you are nothing more than a filter”. We fancy shoes, foods, bags, clothing, gadgets, and many more. Ask yourself if you get to keep these things forever because they won’t, they will soon leave us and make us want even more. We became people pleasers since we lust over those things which we see that other people have. Cultivate your mind, make a connection, be grateful and content with the things you have at hand. The more you desire, the more you will suffer. In this modern world, we have more money in our wallets, shoes in our collection, foods on our table, pictures on social media than wisdom in our minds.

”As we set ourselves free from prejudices and expectations of others, only then we will discover that life’s true luxuries might comprise not more or less of simplicity, quiet, friendship, that is based on vulnerability, creativity without an audience, love without too much hope or despair, hot baths, dried fruits, walnuts, and a little bit of dark chocolate”. 
– Alain de Botton

Happy Holidays everyone.

To my mom, thank you for teaching me the happiness of living a simple life.