A FRIEND told me that he witnessed multiple reunion parties in a restaurant recently. The people came in all ages, he said, and from all walks of life.
There were groups of middle-aged men who celebrated their shared college memories, bunches of senior citizens who basked in high-school nostalgia and clusters of millennials who, based on sheer enthusiasm, seemed to finally found time to see each other after a year’s worth of botched meet-ups.
“Nakakatuwang panoorin silang lahat,” my friend said. “Kahit iba’t-ibang tao, iisa lang ’yung saya.”
He noted that the mood was festive. Everyone shared the same smile, bright as the holiday lights.
Christmas is the time for wishes come true—be it toys for kids or reunions for family and friends.
What we have insufficient reason of getting the thing we want from any other part of the year can be granted this time around. Free time from holiday breaks and cold climate from this season grants accessibility, clearing the way for excuse-less reunions. Money from holiday bonuses covers up the financials, paving the way for gift purchases (hopefully). The idea of Christmas, and everything it stands for, is the nudge that seals everything else. It’s Christmas anyway, so let’s push through.
These ingredients cook up the magic that characterizes the holidays, especially in these parts where Christmas is a stew in a giant pot for everyone to share for over a hundred days.
It’s the kind of magic that strings things together. Christmas ideas and gift preferences change: The children ask for toys and gadgets, until they grow old enough to want company from family and friends, instead.
But what stays the same is that magic, that essence, that belief that during this time of the year, no matter how noisy the year has been, there’s harmony here. There’s still something good left.
Countless things have been sung of Christmas, from being the most wonderful time of the year to being the season to be jolly, because it really is. Christmas is a time of hope and fulfillment, from those who believe it to be, to those who make it to so.
Enjoy the holidays, everybody!