My Christmas Village

  The first Christmas that my husband and I were together I bought myself my first Christmas village building. It was a dollar store. Every year after that, my husband and I would add one to my collection. In a way, it has become a tradition for my family. After ten years, I finally had my first full Main Street. It consists of one church, toy tower, a skating rink, school, supermarket, ski shop, balloon ride, and a dollar general store. Every year, we try to set it up in a different way.
  Christmas is a fabulous time for sharing. Our children enjoyed spending precious time with us, as we create our enchanted Christmas village together. Actually, we enjoy just watching them have fun playing with the little people in the village but we still make sure that they won't break any of it. Christmas village displays are addition to our holiday home. They are often placed beneath the Christmas tree but ours is placed on a wooden table.
  To build my Christmas village, my husband and I would buy at SM Department Store and even at the tiangges here. I'm a fan of Lemax Village Collection. They've got great collections and offers a variety of Lemax Village delights at fantastic prices including the favorite Christmas theme, Caddington Village and popular themes for Snow, Halloween, Summer Harvest, Seaside and the Carnival Collection too- once you start building a miniature village, it will become an addictive fun hobby!
  I started out my village small and each year I'll add a few pieces. I want my village to become bigger and more impressive. I have been planning to build a specialty piece like a custom platform for my pieces. I know I'll never get tired of this hobby because creating a Christmas village is very rewarding. I consider it not only an evolving piece of art, but a personalized holiday tradition.

The True Meaning of Christmas

Christmas is a magical time of priceless epiphanies that stand out as treasured gems. Some are anticipated and planned for while others unfold spontaneously. Sometimes they are given to us- singular events that change our world, our lives.
Just as we think or contemplate on what to give each other this season, we often give and receive gifts to please one another. It is, however, truly refreshing to be reminded that we must empower one another to be the gift, by simply being a blessing to others.
Christmas day is a very significant day and one of those joyous events that we celebrate the world over. It is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that marks the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. One Filipino tradition that I want to practice is going to simbang gabi- the nine day ritual that begins on December 16 and is actually held not at night but at dawn, and ends on the midnight of the 24th of December. Simbang gabi is also known by its popular Spanish name as the misa de gallo, or "mass of the rooster". Catholic churches throughout the country will be ringing their bells at 3:00 or 3:30 in the morning before the roosters crow. This tradition continues whether you live in the city or in the province, although it is celebrated in new ways.
I've tried it for a couple of days only way back in the year 2000 where in my husband and I woke up at four in the morning and went to Immaculate Conception Parish to hear mass. It was such a wonderful experience knowing that some people sacrificed their sleep just to attend the glorious and meaningful celebration. Today, I promise myself that I will prioritize simbang gabi. I will make it a point to attend all nine dawn Masses. I know that it will take a lot of discipline, having to wake up-and stay up-during the cold mornings of December. But what's nine days to give back to God after receiving so many blessings the whole year? Not that it's such a big thing for Him, but it is a sacrifice.
Simbang gabi is not just a tradition that is celebrated because we need to do so. But it is the spiritual preparation for Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. It is practised by Catholic Filipinos communities who are living elsewhere in the world. No matter how or when this celebration takes place, the Simbang Gabi provides a strong indication of the depth of the Catholicism among the hearts of Filipino people. For those who do not attend the celebration, simbang gabi may appear to be too much noise too early in the morning. But a modicum of reflection easily allows everyone to gain insight into the deeper meaning of this celebration. Simbang gabi expresses the faith of Filipinos who holds the same core beliefs as all Christians, namely, that God is present in the human history, even in the simple joys and anxieties of life's humblest activities.

Is it Christmas already?

   I couldn't believe it would be Christmas in three weeks! Has it really been almost a year already? Has one year really come and now, is it almost gone already?
  Christmas is just around the bend and way before the incredible traffic and the long queues at the cashier zap off the fun of buying for those on your Christmas list, beat the rush and start now. Well, you should have started months ago. But it is easier said than done. With all the trauma and the political controversies that our country has been subjected to, the value of peso has further weakened and, along with it, the desire to start the inevitable Christmas shopping.

  Christmas is, for me, the nicest time of year. I like how everything seems brighter, literally and figuratively speaking, and how everyone acts kind. Amid the hustle and bustle of preparing for the usual rituals, it never ceases to amaze me how this one season can heal and bring people together.

  It has been our tradition to put up our Christmas tree as early as the second week of September. Our house is almost filled with Christmas decors and you can  already see colorful wrappers and ribbons in our den and bedroom. I love wrapping gifts. More like tossing them in pretty bags, actually, like a mad woman with too many ribbons and too little time. I am tempted to do a little something extra special with the packaging, which is always the case, I look at the many naked ones staring at me, patiently waiting for their turn, and I am jotted back to my practical senses. My husband has been very tolerant of the festive mess I make and the zombie-like hours I keep.

  Meanwhile, harassed and pressed for time as I am, I am just...happy, in a shameless kind of joy. Despite the dizzying list of things to do and the whirl of get-together, the season never fails to bring me joy. There is no house mess quite as pleasant as the one Christmas ushers in, days are indeed merry and bright amid straps of ribbon and rolls of wrapping paper here and there.

  With all the tragic stories of houses burning down together from overheating Christmas lights, we thought it was time we kept things simple- just touches of Christmas cheer as opposed to glittery, shimmery Christmas everything everywhere. We used most of the old decor we had accumulated through the years. 

  This year, I was actually way behind my Christmas timetable. Way behind. By this time last year, I had already started delivering Christmas presents. I don't know why the spirit of Christmas came a bit too late this year, for me, at least. I have much Christmas shopping to do still. I'd better get started. I think I will let a few things slide. I will make it on time somehow, it's just going to be a mad rush but I'll get there.

  Christmas maybe the most expensive time of the year, with all the presents and celebrations that come with the season. It is the time to give back. A time to be grateful to the people you may not always see and be in touch with as often as you like. And at the core of this season really are friendships and relationships we nurture.

Wedding Vow Renewal

Last Saturday, November 29, was our tenth wedding anniversary. Andre and I celebrated it quietly with just a small dinner party with family and friends. But what really made this day special to us was our renewal of wedding vow. This is the moment we've been waiting for a long time now. The ceremony was conducted at St. Joseph Mission Center in Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish.

Like I mentioned earlier, this is our tenth year as husband and wife despite the fairy-tale like circumstances upon which we met, fell in love, and got married, our relationship is as real as it gets. Real in the sense that though not perfect, it is strong and ideally happy, if I may say so. I am lucky because I married a man secure enough to let me be the person God designed me to be (I don't think I'm even there yet).

We have many reasons to renew our vows as couples. First, we simply want to reaffirm the tremendous love that has deepened and matured with the passing of years. Second, we want to pause and reflect on where we have been and where we are going. Lastly, we know that it would be a perfect example to set for our children. Can you imagine a more beautiful scene than children watching their parents joining hands and hearts as they affirm the magnitude and strength of their enduring love?

This ceremony is a symbol of our looking forward to many more years together. We've been married for ten years now and it is a truly amazing accomplishment. We have survived love's challenges together and it's about time for us to rededicate our lives and love for one another.

Andre is consistently very protective of and very gentle with me and though I always tell him how much I love him, I don't think I thank him often enough for being the kind of husband he is to me. Happy Anniversary again, husby. I thank God for bringing you to my life. I can't believe that we've come this far. You are my life, love and hope. You are my best friend. And like I always say, even when we are both old and gray, every time you hug me I just know that you will still take my breath away. I love you very much.