Living in big cities like Manila can really make people very impersonal because in my last twenty years of living here - I have noticed the steady decline of children doing house-to-house caroling. Since I grew up in a small town, house-to-house caroling was always one thing I looked forward to. Mama never allowed us to do it, but since many of my friends did it - I would usually have several friends come over the house to sing. And lucky them, since they earn extra Christmas money. By the way, Mama was always a bit overprotective since she was afraid we might get bitten by dogs! Anyhow, I don't take it against her because I can't sing anyway. I don't have a good voice. I just miss hearing children sing their Christmas carols outside my window. The few carolers we've had immediately stop singing, soon as you give them money. They have taken out the real joy of caroling. And they sing lousily. Like they were just in it for the extra coins. I'm sure baby Jesus would be petrified if He learns about this.
Well, this is really a biased article since I am a Filipino but after experiencing Christmas in other countries, I've seen it first hand that - no country can really beat the way Filipinos celebrate Christmas! Yeah, I know, the snow looks great - but that's just it.
The reality is - it's very cold and there is no way you can enjoy being outside - the shopping sucks because the malls are crowded - and it's usually very quiet in the suburban communities. I was even shocked that most families just sleep on Christmas Eve. No Noche Buena! Que horror!
But here in the Philippines - it's one big fantastic fiesta once the -ber months come - and as soon as December comes around - there's that dizzying number of parties you'd have to attend and dress up for! Then there are millions of Christmas lights and decorations everywhere from homes to offices to shopping malls! Furthermore, you see lots of families going out together - in the malls, in the amusement parks, in the churches - all dressed in their Sunday best! Most importantly, there are the religious customs like the dawn masses and the midnight mass, which millions of Filipinos still attend! And it's not unusual to hear Christmas carols in September, usually a warm up for the main event! The weather too, is usually the coolest of the year, so you can wear your sweaters or your best clothes since it's not too hot.
