When I think of Christmas, I think simbanggabi, noche buena, and bibingka, hamon, and ensaymada with family and friends. We’ve got plenty of traditions for this merriest of seasons, but who says we can’t use more?
Can you believe that it’s Christmastime once again? We don’t get snow on our side of the globe, but the weather’s notably cooler, especially at night, and the streets twinkle with beautiful fairy lights. Throw in some holiday tunes and a delicious cup of coffee, and it’s the perfect time for reminiscing. Four years ago, after my colleague Sheila and I had our training in the little town of Löhne, Germany, we made our way to the not-so-little city of Hamburg to experience ourselves some European Christmas spirit. Of course, our first stop had to be their Rathaus—German for city hall. As we walked up the steps of the subway, our heads were drawn up to the impressive sandstone walls housing the seat of Hamburg’s government. To give you an idea of just how grand this neo-Renaissance building is, its number of rooms tops that of London’s Buckingham Palace. Awesome, right? We would’ve wanted to join one of the guided tours to its public areas, but since we had a free city tour to catch, we decided to simple explore the sights …
Once again, Christmas day has come and passed–all too quickly, it seems. Christmas this year wasn’t all that different from the last: there was no mind-blowing revelation, no grand gesture. The roads were still traffic all over the Metro (even more so, in fact), we still found ourselves doing last-minute shopping on the 24th, and my mom was still way too busy wrapping enough gifts to fill a sleigh. We chalk up all these things to being signs of the times, though maybe the traffic, consumerism and stress aren’t the best things to associate with the season. During our traditional Christmas eve mass, our priest, Fr. Danny Hwang, told us that it was his first Christmas back in the Philippines after years of being stationed in Rome. He spoke of the Filipino Christmas as being an experience of light, fullness and belonging (I sure do hope I remembered the three correctly!). His homily inspired me into making my own accounting, such as it is. Christmas in the Philippines is a feast for the senses. From the …
Among the treats that I look forward to each Christmas are Starbucks’ holiday drinks. Every year come the start of the -ber months, I eagerly anticipate the arrival of November, which heralds the revamping of Starbucks branches nationwide in shimmering glitter and joyful color, and the replacement of those trademark white and green cups with bold red ones. Blackboards are erased, new posters are displayed, all announcing that the trio we’ve been waiting for is back — Peppermint Mocha, Toffee Nut Latte and Dark Cherry Mocha. When I learned that the season of Christmas caffeine cheer has indeed finally started, I just had to pass by my nearest Starbucks right after a grocery run. It didn’t matter that I haven’t gotten the official go signal from my doctor. I couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to uphold my own personal Christmas tradition: ordering my first cup of Peppermint Mocha. Stepping up to the cashier, I wavered between that and the Toffee Nut Latte. The peppermint won, mostly because those red sprinkles lying on a bed …
wander write now 