It's Not about the Presents

A Christmas present, complete with fancy giftwrappers and shiny tassels and ribbons, brightens up Christmas for everybody.

Growing up, I used to impatiently wait for the calendar to flip to the 24th so I could open up the presents that had “Kirby” in them. Sometimes, my name would come out wrong, as is often the case, but it never mattered to me. One gift was as good as the other, wrong name and all.

When I was seven, I recall receiving a couple of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures. The image of opening up that box is still fresh on my head, like it happened only a few Decembers ago. I remember how I viciously tore up those wispy Christmas wrappers, as if my whole life revolved around those action figures. When I finally laid my hands on them (it was a Michelangelo and Krang), my face lit up like Times Square on a crowded winter night.

I’ve had my fair share of exciting Christmas memories, including some very neat presents throughout the years. But as the years roll along, and the presents become scarcer and scarcer, as a kid, it’s easy to feel slighted. You’ve gotten used to seeing your name on so many presents that when the time comes when you hardly see it anymore, you feel let down and Christmas, somehow, loses a little bit of its oomph!

But behind that guise of disappointment comes a stark realization that the decline in material presents opens up another perspective on what this season is all about. In my case, I’ve began to pay more attention on who gave the present, rather than what’s underneath the wrapper.

The over-used cliché “it’s the thought that counts” is exactly that, over-used. But in spite of that, there’s really no other way to explain it better than what that phrase is trying to say. I’ve received dozens of Christmas presents, some from the regular ninongs and ninangs, and some from unexpected individuals whom I’ve had little interaction with. Each gift takes on the same significance now; some may be more expensive than others, but in the bigger scheme of things, I’m just thankful for being remembered at this time of the year.

The truth is I’m flattered that people still consider me on their holiday list. The thought that they’d waste a couple of hundred pesos (in some cases, thousands) of their hard earned money is something that I’m extremely grateful for, so much so that the actual gift itself becomes an afterthought.

What'simportant for me is being around the presence of those I love. That makes my Christmas all the more special.

Circumstances at the Christmas I spent in America made the appreciation all the more genuine. You see, the season takes on an entirely different meaning once you’ve spent it in a foreign land, away from the safe confines of home sweet home. It’s not to say that it’s not fun, in fact, it was. And to be truthfully honest, it’s something that I’d suggest to everyone who can find it in them to spend the holidays away from their families. There’s nothing like a quiet, cold winter night to get your thoughts running; one you spend sitting by a fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate on one hand and a plateful of marshmallows on the other, all the while staring blankly at the flames dancing riotously in front of you. If for nothing else, the experience warms the soul like no other.

In spite of that, I still yearned for the normal traditions I’ve come to enjoy over the years. Hearing ”Ang Pasko ay Sumapit” after the midnight mass, posing for the usual family pictures, and just being with the same group of people I’ve spent the past 22 years of my life with, there is no better feeling than spending the holidays at home.

Nevermind that there’s no use for a fireplace in this country; I have my family and they’re all I need to keep my heart warm.