Christmas 2007

     
Written on December 24, 2007

       My favorite time of the year is here again ... Christmas!!! Year after year, Our Christmas Eve celebration is not complete without our Yummy Hot chocolate, Ham and Bread, Fried Chicken, Macaroni or any pasta, salad, our homemade Ube or Purple Yam (which I assure you is 100% more delicious than the Good Shepherd Ube) and Leche Flan.  Even before 12:00 am strikes, we are already gathered around the table, getting ready to eat to our heart's delight and waiting expectantly for our gifts.

        I remember when I was a kid, I loved to rummage over piles and piles of gifts placed under the Christmas tree,trying to look for the gifts with my name..and when I find them, I would think of creative ways of opening them without tearing the wrappers...Until my mom got fed up and just kept our gifts hidden in her room. Little did she know that I also have the talent to look for them. lol.

        I love gifts! Who wouldn't? The most memorable gift I received from my parents was a big car  while my brother received a Go kart.  I was about 5 to 6 years old then and we loved driving them around the garage. I asked myself why it was so memorable ... was it the size? Maybe, but more importantly, it was the last gift I remember that my parents gave me when they were still together.  I saw that car and Go kart again a few years ago. They were all rusty and dirty.  It brought back happy and sad memories from the past. Looking back, If I would have learned then that they would eventually separate 1 to 2 years after that Christmas, I would have exchanged that gift - I would have given up anything and everything - just to see them, us, together again.

        That is why everyday, Alvin and I strive hard to give our children the gift we did not receive when we were kids, the gift that is so important for our children but is often neglected.  The gift of our love - not just for our children but to each other...the gift of our presence - enjoying every moment with them.... the gift of a complete family.  

        Alvin and I want our kids to see and feel the love that we have for each other because through our love expressed in words and actions, we know they will feel secured and loved as well.  But as Harold Sala puts it, "love does not come in capsules and in doses, it is born in [our] heart as God touches [our] life"...and Only by loving God can we learn to love our families more.

        By loving our spouse and our children more, we give them more than any gift can bring.  We give them memories to hold on to... We give them life... We lead them to God and His eternal gift - Jesus Christ.  And yes, there is no Christmas without Jesus.  There will never, ever be a Christmas without Jesus.

        Merry Christmas!
  
1 John 3:16: "This is how we know what love is. Jesus laid down His life for us..."