Bida star. Students of the Ateneo community are graced by the smiles of children from various public schools around Metro Manila. Photo by Jessie L. Roasa

HAVING MORE than 2000 excited, energetic kids on campus may be a logistical nightmare, but that did not stop Blue Christmas 2011 from being a success.

Last November 19, two thousand and twenty-five children from nearby communities were treated to a day of games and activities for this year’s Blue Christmas celebration, themed “Ikaw at Ako, Bida ng Bayan Ko.”

The Blue Christmas project has been held annually for the last ten years, while its partner project, the alumni-funded Lights for Hope, is on its eleventh year.

From what was once a simple adopt-a-kid-for-a-day project of the Ateneo Christian Life Community (ACLC), Blue Christmas has evolved into a yearly event participated by various student organizations and school offices.

The event typically includes a half-day class session, where the children are taught dances and activities prepared by volunteer class hosts. The afternoon session is devoted to a Christmas program.

With the number of children involved, Blue Christmas 2011 head Maysheen Tiu says logistics was one of the organizers’ main concerns. 700 volunteers signed up to act as facilitators and class hosts for the event—a number that Tiu says is comparatively larger than in previous years.

This year’s event was also held in the Ateneo de Manila High School covered courts instead of Bellarmine Field, where it is typically conducted, in anticipation of the possibility of rain.

The team experienced only minor problems during the event itself, according to Tiu.

“There were jeeps that left without volunteers. There were some areas that forgot that it was Blue Christmas day already, so [when the facilitators got there to pick up the kids], the kids weren’t there,” she said.

She also noted one case of a boy who got left behind in the covered courts, but was eventually found and brought back to his area using the standby jeepney.