Yuletide cheer in the Philippines begins early with festive decorations in homes and shopping malls, the return of overpriced Christmas-flavored Starbucks drinks, and the musically-immortalized phenomenon of “girls and boys selling lanterns on the street.” Although a medley of symbols and social institutions characterizes the most wonderful time of the year in our country, such icons simply mask the true conditions of a third-world country with a temporary winter wonderland.
Behind the carols of Michael Buble and Jose Mari Chan playing on the overhead, perhaps one of the more interesting and unique aspects of Filipino culture is its extended duration of the Christmas holidays, which unofficially last just as long as the so-called “-ber months” do. However, while the Philippines’ season of giving starts as early as September, the sad irony that remains is that the spirit of actual giving is significantly far more short-lived by comparison in real life.
It is an undeniable fact that the yuletide season is grounded on unshakeable pillars of family, togetherness, selflessness, and love. But the Philippines’ context means that the holidays only heighten the ever-growing disparity between the rich and the poor. In a nation where it pays more to be naughty than it does to be nice, and where Santa seems to be a luxury that only the rich can afford, certain images that have been associated with Christmas fail to reflect the actual and cruel realities of the people that celebrate it.
With the purity of a white Christmas made impossible by the bloodstains of extrajudicial killings, the despair of widespread urban poverty, and the sins of a government riddled by corruption all year round, it becomes difficult for the poor to have themselves a merry little Christmas when their troubles are always much less than miles away. For while holidays of privilege envision a marshmallow world in the winter, the holidays of the masses make one question whether they know it’s Christmastime at all.
Although the sad truth of the present is that no immediate solution can create a Christmas of social equality, hope does lie in the spirit of giving that the holidays should be all about. A grown-up Christmas list sings of values that direct one’s wishes towards a better world, but starting such change can only be brought about when one extends the ideas of family, selflessness, and love outside the circle that surrounds the noche buena table.
Christmas calls all people to embody the spirit of giving. But more importantly for men, women, and kids (from one to ninety-two) to do so all-year round. Selfless love should never be limited to a season, nor should wrong trump right in a world where good should be done for goodness’ sake. The key to making a difference is making the magic last longer than the carols and the snow, because while Christmas can never last the whole year, who’s to say that the reason for the season can’t?
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