CHRISTMAS SHARINGS - Emma

REUNION WITH THE CLAN



My entire childhood was spent believing there is a Santa Claus. Why should I doubt it when older cousins attest to the fact that they've seen him coming in through windows bearing gifts. True enough, on Christmas day, there were gifts under our beds with answers to our letters of requests for gifts (which our parents made us write) and admonishing us to be good, obedient kids.

On Christmas eve, I remember my mother would have something special for our salu-salo. On Christmas day, after attending mass, we would then proceed to Caingin in San Rafael to be with our Veron grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins. "Lechon" is the featured item in these celebrations with actual roasting being done in the yard. Another featured staple is the "Menudo" cooked by the self-proclaimed "best cook" in the family - my aunt Rosita (the mother of Kuya Pabling, Ate Lina and Dicheng Lita). Undoubtedly, her talent must have been honed while raising 13 children.

After lunch, we would then proceed to the "Kabayanan" of San Rafael to be with the Dulay relatives. This was where our father would take us from house to house in the neighborhood where all relatives lived and where we would get aginaldos usually in cash. Come to think of it, I think my father was afraid we haven't bonded with the Dulays as closely and as tightly as with the Verons. At times, we would even spend Christmas night with the Dulay grandparents which we dreaded. Why? It's because we had to pray the entire rosary on our knees complete with the Litany! This was at a time when some of the prayers were in Latin - "Vendito, alabado,cia santissimo (?)".....Till the end of their lives, both my grandparents were daily communicants and I am almost sure that when they died, they must have gone straight to heaven!

December 31 was a big day for us - not only to usher in the New Year but more so because it was my mother's birthday. We usually had "Noche Buena" close to midnight amidst the sound of firecrackers that we had to close the windows to ward off the smoke. This celebration we manage to continue to observe to this day - though I no longer adhere to the practice of jumping as high as I could when the clock struck midnight in the belief it would make me taller. After several attempts and all in vain, can you blame me?

(Thank you, Emma. As I read your sharing, I tried to visualize our Math teacher as a doting mother. I couldn’t help it, she was the strict one, along with Miss de Leon, but they were the good ones, too. To digress a little, I could not remember how I fared in her subject, but what I remember was what my younger sister told me when she found herself under her in Math. Your mother said, “So, you are the sister of Evelyn. Magaling siya. Pareho ba kayo?” That as a basis, “magaling” pala ang pagkatanda niya sa akin. Okey ngarud, sabi nga ng mga Ilokano.

Christmas means reunion with kamag-anak. And if both maternal and paternal relatives come from the same town, both must be given the same amount of time and attention. I can relate to that, my siblings can relate to that, for our respective spouses are all from Malolos. Kailangang ilapit ang damdamin ng mga anak sa parehong partido, dahil sa ayaw at sa gusto, hindi maiaalis ang magkaselosan. Siempre, ang mga lolo at lola, gustong maging malapit sa kanilang mga apo. Sabi nga ng isang bata na bunga ng magkababayang magulang at napagod na siguro sa palipat-lipat ng bahay ng mga lolo at lola: Can’t we just stay in one house? Ang situwasyong ito ay napakaraming kakabit na kwento na saka na lamang natin pagkwentuhan, kung magkakaharap na tayo at nagkakape sa Eurobake sa Guiguinto. Pero, ang o-orderin ko ay halo-halo, hindi ako nagkakape.

Tama pa rin ang sinabi sa akin ng mga Kaka sa tapat ng aming bahay. Si Santa Klaus ay sa MacArthur Highway nagdaan, galing sa Norte. Pagdating siguro sa may kapitolyo ng Bulacan, ay napaliko sa kaliwa at napagawi sa may Bulacan Provincial Hospital, e, malapit ang bahay ninyo doon. "May swing sa harapan," sabi siguro ni Santa. "Ito ang bahay nina Emma." At papasok na siya. Kaya, all the time, may Santa Klaus ang iyong kamusmusan. Galing!)