Things I miss about the good old years...
1. Simbang gabi and attending it with the whole family. Though it was a challenge to get up and be dressed at 5am, I still miss that. I never realized how nice that was. As I grew older, I went with my friends...when I was at UP, I went when I could...now, we don't even have simbang gabi here! I wonder how many people still manage to attend all of them, including the midnight mass on the 24th.
2. Getting presents that people actually really thought about...rather than getting something that was pre-packaged by some store trying to "sell" Christmas. When I was growing up, I don't recall really getting a lot of presents, but each one was something "personalized" that I actually needed and could use through the year (or longer!). I mean, I'm not complaining about the gifts that I may have received this year, but the "personal touch" is not all there. You know what I mean? It's kind of hard to explain!
3. Family/Clan reunions. Oh my gosh, we always had a reunion on Christmas Day. Foodfest...and tons of relatives that we see only once a year. It was always so much fun. But then, that tradition kind of fizzled out as well. Plus the cousins in my generation are so spread out around the world, that it's rather difficult to convene in one place...I think it would be awesome if one day, we'll get to organize something like that. I envy my Dad's generation in that regard. They ALL knew each other, were always close, and constantly kept in touch. That's a far cry from what it is now. Some of my cousins, I wouldn't even really be able to put name and face together. Sad...
4. Nadine's mom's fruitcake. I swear it was the bomb! Plus of course, Nades and I used to make money by taking orders and delivering them...I suspect Nadine had a bigger cut than me, however. hahahaha. Both John and my Dad are big fans of the fruitcake too...good stuff.
5. Noche buena at my grandma's house. The Christmas Eve midnight meal and the exchange gifts were great! Bonfire, barbecue, and beer. hehehehe...well, coke or sprite for me, since I'm allergic to alcohol...plus of course at that time, I wasn't exactly old enough to drink. I remember that the barbecue never really quite made itself inside to the food table. Apparently, it was a great beer match. hahaha
6. My mom and her greeting cards. Now I have to send my own and I don't always get to it. Growing up, my Mom handled all of that and she signed it will all our names. But with independence came the task of sending them myself...with a large clan like ours and a diverse circle of friends, it gets pretty tedious, and not to mention expensive! hehehehe...so much for the spirit of giving, right? Hey, I'm a struggling grad student on a limited budget...
7. My husband! Well, technically, we have yet to spend Christmas together as husband and wife. But through all the years(12!!!) that we've been best friends, we always made it a point to see each other sometime during Christmas vacation. Sigh...I miss my hubby!
Speaking of my hubby, he's online now and we're going to chat. So I'll stop with the list and perhaps add more to it someday....
Iba parin talaga ang Pasko sa Pilipinas. Malungkot talaga dito!
1 comment:
Hey, thanks for stopping by my site. I hope you're not too homesick. I have more posts on my site if you want to check them out. By the way, do you love the fruitcake, really? I think you would be the first person I have "met" who really likes fruitcake. To each his own, though.
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