HUMAN INTERACTION in the warmth of proximity is all we want for Christmas. These come in the form of family reunions, exchanging of gifts and laughter with friends, and other celebrations that give meaning to the Yuletide season. However, in light of the pandemic and our socially-distanced reality, these gifts have become too costly to afford.
Under normal circumstances, students studying away from their hometowns would be rushing to buy gifts to bring back to their families for the holidays. However, this season of gift-giving is nearly impossible to sustain given the COVID-19 pandemic—for students who find themselves stuck in Metro Manila, the process of acquiring the necessary documents for local travel is already difficult.
Consequently, many students have chosen to stay put and spend Christmas away from their homes as locally stranded individuals. With this, four Loyola Schools students share their plans for spending the holidays away from the ones they love.
Last Christmas
As people flocked to the provinces in March, Angelo Kouame (3 AB IS), EJ Falcon (3 BS PSY), and Bianca Manzano (3 BS CH) thought it would be safer to stay in the Ateneo Residence Halls. At that time, these students had no idea that the pandemic and quarantine protocols would last for the rest of the year. The same is also true for Julia Ocoma (3 BS MGT-H) and her brother, who remain in Metro Manila with their aunt and uncle while the rest of their nuclear family are in Naga, Camarines Sur.
The four share how much they value Christmas and the meaningful traditions that they have grown to love. However, with strict quarantine protocols still in place, the usual holiday festivities can only be revisited in memory.
Kouame recounts how he spent Christmas Eve at the Ivory Coast last year. Back then, only smiles and laughter were contagious as his family would dine and dance the night away. While waiting for midnight, Kouame would meet a friend outside to simply bond and exchange conversations about life. The holiday affairs for Kouame and his family were as solemn as they were jubilant.
Similarly, Falcon reminisces and shares how he has always spent the holidays in Cagayan de Oro (CDO). Being reunited with his family and his close friends from high school is an occasion he looked forward to each year. “Christmas was a ‘coming home’ event for me,” he emphasizes. “I also get to spend some time [not just with] my family [but also] my CDO friends.”
Manzano, on the other hand, remembers making her favorite buko pandan with her mother as their long-standing Christmas tradition. “Christmas is a day of feasting with the family and reconnecting with other relatives,” she explains. Manzano notes how important coming home is for her to make up for lost time spent studying away.
Finally, Ocoma recalls that her parents and little sister would drive to Manila from Naga, proving that home was more about the people than it was about the place. With a daily itinerary, they would travel around Manila and visit different malls. Ocoma emphasizes how precious being with her family is at this time of the year.
These students’ memories of a normal Christmas are no stranger to many who have grown up with the people they call their home. Christmas was about the people in the parties, in dancing, in the preparing of meals. However, each student’s experience is also a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made in light of the pandemic.
The most wonderful time of the year
This year has challenged everyone to alter expectations for the coming holiday season. However, it becomes a bigger challenge for these four students who are unable to celebrate Christmas with their usual routines and traditions.
Evidenced by these memories of a “normal Christmas,” the holiday is not so much about the gifts and the handa, but about being with the people closest to their hearts. Hence, Falcon shares that in this “new abnormal,” it is all about perspective. “[My friends and family] might not be here, but at least I’m still able to contact them virtually and I get to spend Christmas with people who have the same situation as me who can understand and relate to me,” he says.
This is why Falcon looks forward to the weekly dorm activities and is excited to find out what they have in store for the Christmas festivities. More than this, he shares the wishes of many for the holiday season: For the pandemic to finally come to an end.
While an optimistic perspective plays an important role in keeping hope alive, it does not mean that spending Christmas away from home has not affected these students negatively. Kouame, for example, admits that he has not put much thought into how he would be spending Christmas this year.
“I don’t feel Christmas yet because I’ve been here and I don’t even see the difference,” he says. He later adds that he might just eat dinner out with some friends and their families since movement is heavily restricted in the dorms. When it is already safe enough to travel though, Kouame wishes to bring his family to the Philippines once more so they can finally spend time together.
Similarly, Manzano shares that instead of doing her usual holiday routines with her family, she might just “[pa-deliver] food and call it a day,” or, more hopefully, make her favorite buko pandan to keep at least one of her traditions alive. As she braves on academic responsibilities one step at a time, Manzano’s holiday wishes are simple: To end the semester strong and to have her family safe and well.
While Ocoma’s family couldn’t do their usual drive from Naga City to Metro Manila to visit her and her brother—her yuletide hopes have not faltered. Ocoma plans on shipping gifts and packages to Naga so her family there can open it come Christmas dawn. Though top of her wish list is for life to finally get back to normal, Ocoma also prays for healing in all forms and ways. “What keeps me going is the thought that somehow and some way this will all make sense…that something good comes out of [all of this],” she shares.
Christmas in our hearts
Although concrete plans for the holiday season remain uncertain, the four students share the common hope that they can finally reunite with their loved ones soon to make up for what has been lost because of this pandemic.
Given the high likelihood of spending Christmas unconventionally, Falcon imparts that so long as people can still find means to bond with friends and family, the holiday is still worth celebrating. “The spirit of family transcends virtual communication, and the spirit of Christmas transcends our reality. It goes just beyond physical connections. It’s our familial connections, our relationships with one another,” he says.
With little decorations adorning the streets and with festivities severely constrained, the four students expressed the difficulty of remaining optimistic in having to spend an important celebration away. While they are saddened about the way things are right now, they have not yet given up on hope. Although yearly traditions have to be let go to make way for safety, there are still different ways to keep the season merry and alive for now.
